The Shadows Within
by Shadow of Link
Summary: The seven year war has passed, Ganondorf Dragmire is sealed away, and Hyrule is restored to its former glory. But inivisible to all, a shadow still looms that is ready to strike out at all life...and Zelda and Link must destroy it...
1. Prologue

The Shadows Within  
By Joel Ainsworth  
  
Prologue  
  
As the moon rose high in the sky, and all was quiet and dark and still, a frigid gale blew across the silent town of Hylia. Signs above inn doors creaked, leaves on trees blew and ripples moved across the surface of the river. It blew past the town and along the winding path to Hyrule Castle, the great stone building overlooking the town, bathed in the pale light of the moon. It blew silently into one of the towers on the south wall and drifted over somebody sleeping silently.  
  
"...Zelda..."  
  
The girl did not stir, but heard the voice in her dreams. It was a quiet yet shrill voice.  
  
"...Zelda..."  
  
She tried to reply, and heard her own voice echoing in her mind, but she felt weak and did not reply like her normal self. "...Yes...I am here..."  
  
"...I am...the Puppet Master..."  
  
"...Who...what is happening...who are you..."  
  
"...Zelda...seek the shadows within..."  
  
"...The shadows within..."  
  
"...Death will come to your people soon...a fast deadly wave of death and destruction that none will escape...you must stop it..."  
  
"...Stop it..."  
  
"...You must destroy the heart of evil...in the fortress of darkness..."  
  
"...Where is the heart of evil..."  
  
"...Find the shadows within Zelda...find the shadows within..."  
  
The girl bolted upright in her bed, breathing heavily, sweating, eyes wide and ears alert. A wind blew around her round room in the tower and then disappeared as if it left through the window. She looked around fearfully, and ran to the window. All was still. She walked slowly back to her bed and cautiously lay down.  
  
...The shadows within... 


	2. Chapter 1 The Grimal Sisters

Chapter 1 – The Gerudo Sisters  
  
"Get down, let me see."  
  
"In a minute!"  
  
"No, let me look." Yerra struggled against her sister, and then decided to scramble around to the other side of the large sign above the building to see down. "Hey yeah, you're right Jerra, he is pretty fine."  
  
"I told you."  
  
Yerra looked at him admiringly. The boy was a bit older than she was, about Jerra's age, and wore an earthen brown tunic. He was very handsome, with a commanding build and red-blonde hair. Currently, he was sitting on the well in the centre of the market square, apparently oblivious to the two of them on the roof of the bazaar. He was looking over a map, and marking points of it with a dagger.  
  
"Hey, you don't suppose he's that Link guy do you? The one we saw in the Hylian museum. The Hero of Time." Yerra looked across at Jerra for a reply.  
  
Jerra took another look and then turned to her sister. "Maybe. He does look quite a bit like the picture..."  
  
"Well, I'm gonna find out!" Yerra leapt down from the building onto a balcony.  
  
"Yerra!" Called Jerra, but she was already making her way down some wooden steps to the ground. "I swear...One of these days..." Reluctantly, she jumped down from the building and hurried after her sister.  
  
Yerra reached the boy sitting by the well. "Hi." She smiled and sat down close to him. "I'm Yerra."  
  
"Hey." He said, quite startled. He had every right to be startled, Yerra was stunning. He knew instantly that she was a Gerudo, her clothes made it obvious; the material they were made from, the vibrant purple and deep black, the gold patterns; and of course her unmistakeable long, bright red hair. She was incredibly beautiful, and he was wondering what he had done to make her approach.  
  
Then before he had chance to speak again, another girl approached. She looked almost identical, but older, more mature looking. She glared at the other. "Yerra, don't do that to me." Then she looked at him and smiled. "Hi."  
  
"Hey." He said again.  
  
"I'm Jerra." She sat down on his other side, and looked at his map.  
  
The other girl started again. "We were just saying we think we recognise you."  
  
"Really? Why?"  
  
"Are you Link?"  
  
The boy's eyes widened, something had clearly shocked him. "No...my name is Karak."  
  
"Oh." Yerra seemed disappointed. The other girl didn't seem too bothered though.  
  
"Hey, what made you think I was called 'Link'? Do you mean Link al'Ryak?"  
  
"Um...yeah I think so. Its just, you looked a lot like him from a painting we saw. And you're the right age as well." Said Jerra looking up from the map. It was a map of the eastern reach of Hyrule, stretching as far west as Death Mountain and Hylia.  
  
"Really? You think I look like Link? And he's sixteen as well?" He seemed very interested in this. More interested that one might expect.  
  
"Yeah. Well, I guess." Said Yerra.  
  
"Yerra said she thinks you're fine." Said Jerra laughing.  
  
Karak turned to Yerra and she leaned back. "I did not!" She said laughing playfully.  
  
Karak laughed as well, and then tried to veer the conversation away from him. "You two are Gerudos aren't you?"  
  
"Oh yes," said Jerra, "We're the infamous middle Grimal sisters." She smiled flirtatiously. "Of the 'noble and most ancient house of Grimal'."  
  
"Not so noble anymore though..." Muttered Yerra. "Just a broken line. Somewhere along the line our house was supposed to be the royal heirs, before another Dragmire was born. But that was a couple hundred years ago." Karak wasn't sure where that change of tone had come from the previously lively Yerra. Then she winked at him and added, "We're still pretty good though." She laughed.  
  
"Ignore her," Said Jerra, "She's got no control."  
  
"No control..." muttered Yerra, "look who's talking." Jerra just laughed at this.  
  
Karak wasn't sure what they had just meant, but he was certainly enjoying this attention, as odd as it was. He just reminded himself that these were Gerudos; maybe this was usual behaviour for them. Then again maybe it was just the 'Grimal sisters'. "So what are you two doing here?"  
  
"Oh we're just er..." Began Yerra, but didn't find the words.  
  
Jerra leaped to finish her sentence. "-passing through. Yes, we're passing through. We're um...going to Death Mountain, for..."  
  
"Shopping!" Said Yerra trying to carry on this obvious charade.  
  
"Shopping?" Questioned Jerra, abandoning it.  
  
"Um...yeah. They make really nice things there like..." She looked for help from Jerra, but she just looked at her hopelessly. "Um...jewellery! Yeah, very good craftsmen up there. Or craftsgorons I should say." Jerra shook her head in disbelief.  
  
"Okay," Said Karak. "It doesn't matter why you're really here." He looked over Yerra's shoulder towards the main gate. "Listen, I've got to tell you something."  
  
"What?" Said Jerra.  
  
"Well, don't look now but...there's a Zora leaning against a wall just over there, inside the shadows. He's been staring at you two this whole time. He wasn't there before."  
  
Yerra gave Jerra a concerned look. "We'd better go."  
  
"Yeah, you're right. Come on." The two of them stood up and walked away briskly leaving Karak alone again, quite startled by their sudden leave. He looked down at his map and traced his journey with his dagger. If this was Hylia, then Link must be around somewhere.  
  
He looked around hopefully, but his attention was suddenly drawn to a figure dressed in white and blue walking briskly into the square through the north gate from the castle. She had long golden hair and a very elegant aura about herself. There was no doubt who that was, that was the Princess Zelda. He watched as she walked down into another street, escorted by two castle guards. He had a sudden thought, a daring one granted but...The Princess knew Link...He stood up and walked in the direction she had gone.  
  
From the shadows, a Zora stood quietly, spinning a dagger between his fingers. The Grimal girls had climbed back up onto the rooftops. Slowly he made his way in the direction they had gone, eye sharp and ears keen. He was close now. So close. 


	3. Chapter 2 Disturbing Dreams

Chapter 2 – Disturbing Dreams  
  
Zelda knocked on the wooden door, and stood waiting patiently for it to be answered. The street was bright as the sun was full up, and there were no clouds. She had to talk to somebody about what had happened to her the night before, and there was only one person she thought she could really trust. There was a click of a lock from the inside, and then the door was opened.  
  
"Hi Link." She said smiling.  
  
"Hey Zelda," he said, not expecting Zelda to have been the one at his door. "Come in, come in. I'm not totally awake yet." He laughed, "I only just got up."  
  
Zelda's guards remained posted outside the door and Zelda walked in. Despite the alertness of the guards though, nobody spotted the figure dressed in brown sneak behind the building. Karak crouched down below the window and heard everything they said.  
  
Link's home looked very comfortable. It was one room, other than the bedroom and toilet room, which had separate doors leading to them at the wall near the front door. There was a fireplace with three comfy chairs positioned near it at one side of the room. And then there was a place to prepare food with a basin, a stove and some cupboards, and a window looking out up onto Death Mountain. This was the window that Karak had crouched beneath. There was a table for dining with five wooden chairs around it close to the kitchen area. Zelda took a seat at the table whilst Link made a hasty attempt at tidying up. "What brings you here?" He said, clearing some plates into a cupboard.  
  
Zelda looked anxious, and she held her hands close to herself on the table. "I had a dream last night, or at least I think it was a dream, I wasn't sure."  
  
"Oh, you and your dreams Zelda." Said Link, a little frustrated. "You predict every little event in Hyrule way before it happens, and you are right every time. Remember last week when you knew that dog was going to steal my green hat? And then it did didn't it? I've not got it back since." He laughed and turned around, "But the point is, you don't need to tell me all those things."  
  
"Yes well this is different, I know. I don't think it was actually a dream anyway, it just happened at night is all. And while we're on that topic, I'm kind of glad that dog stole your hat."  
  
"That hat is part of my image as the Hero!"  
  
"It's a dirty old hat that everybody thought looked strange."  
  
"Yeah, but still..." Link trailed off and returned to tidying.  
  
"I was asleep last night, when suddenly my dream...I don't know what the dream was... was cut short and everything went black. I heard a cold voice in my head. The voice said he was the 'Puppet Master'."  
  
"Puppet Master?"  
  
"Yeah, I thought it was strange too. Anyway, he told me that a wave of death was going to come upon Hyrule and I had to stop it."  
  
"What sort of death?"  
  
"He didn't say. He just told me that I had to destroy the heart of evil. When I asked him where the heart of evil was, he told me that I had to find 'the shadows within'. I have no idea where that is or what he meant by it."  
  
"The shadows within? Is that all he said?"  
  
"Oh, and there was something about a 'fortress of darkness', he said I would have to go there. But that's all. I woke up in my bed, but everything was normal..."  
  
Link walked over and sat down, facing Zelda across the table. "Well, this sounds more serious than hat-stealing dogs I must say."  
  
Zelda laughed for a second, but then turned serious again. "What do you think I should do?"  
  
Link looked down at the table and thought. "I don't know. But if you are sure that this voice was genuine then you should probably do as he says and try and find this...heart of evil. If a 'wave of death' came to Hyrule...if people started dying and there had been some way to stop it...you...we...we have to do something." He looked at Zelda sternly and she stood up.  
  
"But what can we do?"  
  
"We need to find somebody that knows where the 'Fortress of Darkness' is. Do you know anybody that might know something?" He looked at Zelda hopefully.  
  
She looked back at him in thought, and then slowly replied. "Maybe...maybe one of the scholars at the castle will know something."  
  
"We should go and ask then. Come on." Link stood up and walked to her side. "Is that okay?"  
  
"Yes, that's fine. Lets go." The two of them left through the door.  
  
Karak stood up and wandered back around to the front of the house and watched Link, the Princess and the guards walk away. How ever was he going to get a chance to talk to him?  
  
Suddenly somebody grabbed him from behind, wrapping their cold fingers onto his neck. He could feel a something sharp pressed up to his neck, most likely a blade. He remained very still. He could see that the fingers around his neck were white-blue, a Zora's. A voice hissed into his ear. "You, what is your name?"  
  
"K-Karak." He spluttered out, shutting his eyes as the blade pressed harder. He could not see the Zora, but was suddenly reminded of the Zora he had seen before watching him with the Grimal sisters. This just had to be the same one.  
  
"Those girls you were with, do you know where they went? I will know if you lie to me."  
  
"No, I don't honestly. I don't even know them. That was the first time I had ever seen them."  
  
The Zora said nothing for a few seconds, then said. "Alright, I believe you." He pushed him towards the wall and held him there close. "Remain standing here for ten seconds then you may go, I will not bother you again. But do not watch me go, or I will know and I will not be forgiving. Stay there and keep your eyes shut."  
  
"Ok-k-kay." Karak was petrified.  
  
"I take my leave." Instantly there was relief on his neck and the Zora was gone. He waited a few seconds and then checked around. He was definitely gone. Karak slouched back against the wall and took deep breaths, he could not remember the last time he had been so frightened. 


	4. Chapter 3 Caitas Krane

Chapter 3 – Caitas Krane  
  
"Now, I suppose the best person to talk to about locating a certain place would be Caitas Krane. He knows a lot about the geography of Hyrule and the borderlands. If anybody knows where the fortress of darkness is, its him."  
  
Zelda and Link were making there way up the path towards the castle, and she was thinking out loud for him. It was high noon now and the sun was blazing hot so they were keeping to the side of the wall with some shade.  
  
"And then do you agree that we should go there?"  
  
"It depends just what he tells us I suppose. This could all just be nothing."  
  
"I doubt it. This to me sound likes the start of yet another problem the two of us are going to have to deal with."  
  
"What? We've only ever had one problem together and that was when we met, in the seven-year war against Ganon. What are you talking about, 'yet another problem'?"  
  
"I er..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, its nothing its nothing. I didn't mean that."  
  
Zelda eyed him suspiciously but then turned back to face the castle. As they walked over the drawbridge they both breathed a sigh of relief to be out of the heat and Zelda took down her head veil that she had put up. It was dark and cool inside the castle in comparison, and it took their eyes a while to adjust.  
  
A short way along the main corridor, Zelda turned away and opened a door in the wall. Link followed her down into a spiral staircase and hurried after her. "What's down here?"  
  
"Oh, this is what they call the hidden corridor sometimes. I don't know why though...Well," she laughed, "it is a bit hidden granted but..." Link caught up with her. "This is the archive. If you ever needed to know something about Hyrule its more than likely that you would be able to find what you needed to know down here. Its full of books, scrolls, maps and so on, all dating back from early Hyrule history to the present day." They had emerged at a corridor lit by torchlight at the bottom of the stairs. It was not a long corridor; it extended away from the base of the stairs to a far wall that had a door in it; and there were two more sets of door facing each other across the hall from opposite sides. It was made of white stone and reflected the yellow flicker of the many torches. "That far room there," said Zelda pointing to the far door, which was less lit than the other four. "Nobody has been in there for sixteen years. Rauru told me that Ganondorf opened it in the Civil War, and that was what drove him completely corrupt."  
  
"What's inside?" Asked Link, slightly worried.  
  
"Hundreds of scrolls, and they all say the same thing."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"In a realm beyond sight; the sky shines gold, not blue. There the Triforce' might; makes mortal dreams come true."  
  
"I see..." Zelda was walking to the nearest door on the left now, and he followed her.  
  
"Caitas?" She called in.  
  
"Yes, I'm here." A voice called back. Link entered the room behind Zelda and looked around; It was a large library. At the far end there were high up windows, letting light down into the basement. This meant that with the addition of torchlight, this room was actually surprisingly bright. There were rows and rows of bookcases, all filled with old books. Specks of dust flittered around in the light, and long shadows were cast between bookcases from the windows. The main colour in here was a rich brown, because of the colour of both the shelves and the mahogany floor.  
  
A middle aged man emerged in front of them. He was wearing a long blue robe which stretched to his feet, and a peculiar flat brown hat. Link thought he looked very odd, but he presumed that down here people were not often with him so he needn't fuss about clothing. He bowed to Zelda, "Greetings your majesty. How may I be of service?" Then he noticed Link standing next to her, and bowed again, "Lord Link, it is an honour to meet you sire."  
  
Link whispered to Zelda, "What does he mean, 'Lord Link'?"  
  
She whispered back, "Oh come on, you're famous. How do you expect him to treat you?"  
  
"I guess..." He looked back to Caitas and smiled. "Good to meet you Caitas."  
  
Zelda got straight to the point now. "Caitas, we need to know about something I heard in my dreams, which I think it important."  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"Do you know anything about either the 'heart of evil', the 'fortress of darkness', or 'the shadows within'?"  
  
Caitas looked at her strangely. "Come and sit down." He walked to a table beneath the windows and sat down. Link and Zelda did likewise. "What is this all about?"  
  
Zelda tried her best to explain. She told him about her dream and what had been said, about a wave of death and how she was told to find and destroy the heart of evil. Which was apparently in both the fortress of darkness and the shadows within. He asked her who had said these things and so she told him.  
  
"The Puppet Master?" He said surprised. "Who on earth is that?"  
  
"How should I know? You're the scholar."  
  
"Yes, yes I suppose I am, yes. Well I do know something about the fortress of darkness. Wait there." He stood up and disappeared into the dark recesses of the room and returned carrying two maps. He laid the first out on the table. "This is a conventional map of Greater Hyrule. It shows as far west as the desert lands, or 'Gerud' as it is sometimes called. You can see Lake Hylia in the southwest, the Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods in the east, and Death Mountain in the northeast, and Hylia in the north here. But this is not all of Hyrule."  
  
He put the other map on the table. "This is the northern reach." This map had Hylia and Death Mountain at the bottom of the map, and it stretched a long way through a lot of distance. There was a great grassy plain behind the mountains north of Hylia that stretched a vast distance. This was called the 'Great North Plain'. Then there was a lake and some mountains further up, and then another plain even further north named 'The Northern Waste'. Then at the far north edge of the map was a great mountain range named the 'Mountains of Darkness'. Even on the map they were shaded in dark. "Here," said Caitas pointing to this northern mountain range, "Here is where I have heard tell is the Fortress of Darkness, a place of great evil and death. Only a precious few have ever journeyed into the mountains and seen it, but none have ever approached it. Or if they have, they have not returned."  
  
"So it is real," whispered Link.  
  
"Yes. If Zelda's dream is a true prophetic vision, then this is where you will find the 'Heart of Evil'."  
  
"So are you saying that you think we should go there?"  
  
"Do whatever you feel that you should. I will of course have to report this matter to the King, Zelda. But...I don't think that there is anything the entire army of Hylia could do." He sighed. "I am a learned man Zelda, and I understand much about dreams of this sort, and I know a lot about the two of you and what you are capable of. This is your task Zelda, and you should go with her Link of course. I will inform your father of the situation at dawn two days from now because I must conform to regulations. Tell him whatever you want for the moment. I would advise that the two of you head north and seek the fortress of darkness. Maybe you go to your doom..." This man was certainly not encouraging, but was at least honest. "You can do whatever you feel best. I'm merely an advisor."  
  
"Thanks." Said Link, half earnestly, half sarcastically. "Come on Zelda."  
  
"Yes, thanks Caitas." She smiled at him and then followed Link out of the door. 


	5. Chapter 4 Five Is Company

Chapter 4 – Five Is Company  
  
The following morning in Hylia was beautiful. The sun shone clear onto the white walls of the city, crystal dew sparkled on the plains, the water ran cool and clear glistening in the sunlight, a gentle breeze was blowing. Every citizen of Hylia awoke to the wonder of the day, oblivious to the darkness that could soon engulf their fair world.  
  
Zelda and Link were currently at the gates of the city, making a final check that they were fully prepared for their journey. They were to first move into the foothills of Death Mountain, and then head north. Link was wearing a brown travelling tunic, and Zelda wore a similar tunic also, though a dark green colour, but hers looked far more elegant. In their bags, they had packed provisions of food and water enough to get them a way across the great northern plain. There were ample rivers and streams flowing down from the mountains on the plain, so water would not be a problem, and Link was confident that he could catch animals to eat in the event of them not finding a settlement to restock supplies at. They had enough money to buy anything they needed from traders along the way also. "I'm sure we're fine to set off Zelda." Said Link, leaning against the wall checking his sword, whilst she looked into her travelling pack, seeming quite concerned.  
  
"It doesn't hurt to check a second.-"  
  
"Fifth."  
  
"Fine a fifth. It doesn't hurt to check for a fifth time does it? What if we've forgotten something?"  
  
"It'll be fine. We really need to be getting away, we can't arouse suspicion; and the Princess and the Hero of Time leaving the city like this will seem extremely suspicious. We need to get away without your father finding out."  
  
"Or so Caitas would have us believe."  
  
"Caitas knew what he meant."  
  
"Don't worry Link."  
  
"I'm telling _you_ not to worry here. Get your pack on you back and lets leave."  
  
"Fine!" She said angrily. She stood up and slung her pack over her shoulder. "Lets go."  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be like that."  
  
She gave him a harsh look, then smiled. "It's fine, I understand. Come on." Zelda started walking out across the drawbridge. Link began to follow her, but then stopped when he heard a voice calling to him from behind. Zelda also turned around.  
  
"Link!" A boy, that he would suppose to be sixteen like himself, was running towards him. As the boy got close he noticed that this boy looked similar to himself in some ways. He slowed down as he got nearer and stopped in front of Link, taking a few exhausted breaths. Zelda wandered back over to Link's side. "You're Link right?" Then he saw Zelda more clearly, "Oh my, Princess Zelda." He bowed and introduced himself. "My name is Karak al'-." He hesitated. "My name is Karak. It is an honour to meet you, both of you."  
  
"Hello Karak," Said Link, slightly puzzled. "Did you want to speak to me or something? You were shouting my name just now after all."  
  
"Well, yes. I've been trying to find you for a long time now. I need to talk to you and I-" He looked at the two of them, noticing their strange attire and their travelling things. "Are the two of you going away?"  
  
"Yes, but please don't tell anybody, whoever you are. We need to keep quiet about this...apparently."  
  
He looked at Link for a moment, then across to Zelda, then back to Link. "Hey, would you mind if I came with you? You wouldn't need to worry about me; I'd take care of myself. I need a chance to talk to you Link, and I'm leaving Hylia myself right now anyway. I'll probably just head back east after I talk to you."  
  
Link looked at Zelda, and she just shrugged her shoulders. "Its not like he'd be going much of the way with us..." He said.  
  
"Hey, whatever Link. Its your decision." Zelda looked out across Hyrule Field.  
  
Link turned to Karak. "We're going as far as Death Mountain then turning north. You can come with us to the mountain if you want, if it really is that important. It would be good to have some extra company I guess."  
  
"Really? Oh thanks, that's brilliant. Are you leaving now?"  
  
"Yes. Are you able to leave now?"  
  
"Um, yeah. I've got everything I came with on my back, so yes, I can come now."  
  
"Good." Link walked to join Zelda, and Karak followed. "Come, on lets go."  
  
"Hey wait!" Another voice was suddenly heard from behind. A female voice. The three of them turned around. Zelda was getting very frustrated now. There were two gerudo girls running towards them, constantly checking over their shoulders. "Hey Jerra, its Karak." Said the first on reaching them.  
  
"Oh, hey Karak." Said the other approaching. "Are you leaving? Good, come on. You can help us. Lets go." Jerra walked straight past and Yerra followed. "Come on!"  
  
Zelda and Link were startled and looked at Karak. "I met them once." He said. Then remembered the Zora and added. "Oh, I know what's going on." Karak left Zelda and Link standing on the drawbridge and caught up with the gerudo girls.  
  
Zelda and Link looked at each other in astonishment. "What was all that about?" She asked, getting even more annoyed.  
  
"I have no idea..." Said Link, gazing after the three walking away in the direction of the mountain.  
  
"Ugh." Growled Zelda angrily and hurried after them. Link did the same.  
  
"What is going on!?" She demanded. "Who are you!"  
  
"Hey calm down." Said the gerudo called Jerra. "Stop being so demanding; who do you think you are, the princess!?"  
  
Zelda glared at them angrily. "Yes I do actually! I'm Princess Zelda! And I want to know what is going on!"  
  
Link caught up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Zelda calm down, really."  
  
The gerudos weren't quite sure what to say, but the older one, Jerra managed to say something. "We're being pursued by a Zora assassin. We have to escape Hylia, and we'd be much safer travelling with you lot if you don't mind."  
  
"Ugh." Said Zelda again and turned away.  
  
"Sure," said Link. "Come with us if you must. Just don't slow us down."  
  
"Oh we have no intentions of going slowly," Said Yerra.  
  
Link sighed, and looked at the two gerudos, then Karak, then Zelda. "Well...I guess five is company..." The five of them continued walking away towards Death Mountain, under the light of the morning sun.  
  
In side the archway of the drawbridge, concealed within the shadows, a Zora stood looking fiercely after them. He spun a dagger in his fingers and then put it away in his belt. This was not over yet. Not yet. Not when he had been so close. He was not about to just simply give up, it was not his nature. This was not over yet. It was just begun. 


	6. Chapter 5 Shadows On Death Mountain

Chapter 5 – Shadows On Death Mountain  
  
Karak reached up to the ledge above him, straining himself to get up. He leaped up and grabbed it and pulled himself over the edge strenuously. He checked back over the cliff edge and signalled to Jerra that he was up. The rocky red mountain was a hard climb, but this would be the last vertical climb they would have to make. The other four were quite far below him on a path that ran the base of the mountain. They had already attempted to follow this path north but it had failed on them, as it led straight to a sheer drop.  
  
Jerra began climbing, and he noticed that she was far better at it than he had been. He looked out west over Hylia; the sun was sinking quite low now, and was almost hidden behind he western mountains. They would have to stop to rest soon enough. Soon Jerra, and then Yerra had made their way up to the top, and now Link watched as Zelda began the climb. She moved cautiously up the ledge, taking her time. Link looked around also, and noticed how late it was getting; the clouds in the west were lit up in shades of red and pink and orange as the sun set. It was an inspiring sight.  
  
Link turned around to face Zelda and the cliff again, but for a fleeting second, something caught his eye further down the mountain. He ran to the edge of the path and looked down over the mountain slope to the green fields and the river, but there was nothing there. Then, as he was about to turn back around, he saw something dart under a rocky overhang; a blurred shadowy figure that he could not make out. But then it was gone. Feeling uncertain, he turned to the cliff wall and began his own ascent.  
  
A short while later, the five were once again moving northwards along the Death Mountain road. Zelda was deep in conversation with Jerra and Yerra.  
  
"So why were you two out here in the first place? Why did you leave the Gerudo Desert?"  
  
"We were exiled by Queen Balaea." Replied Jerra, "She said we weren't fit to be in her kingdom. Its because we're of the house of Grimal."  
  
"You were exiled?"  
  
"Yeah. And then she sent that Zora assassin after us to try and kill us. She's a sick-minded queen. You see, our mother should have inherited the throne after King Dragmire and Commander Nabooru mysteriously disappeared seven years ago. The house of Grimal was the most closely related family to the house of Dragmire."  
  
Yerra took over speaking here, "Queen Balaea was Nabooru's second in command though, so when Nabooru vanished she took control of the army. It was because of this that she was able to seize the throne. Derra Grimal, our mother was in line by blood...but that wasn't going to stand up to Balaea Saiatra."  
  
"So she took the throne?" Asked Zelda.  
  
"Yeah." Answered Jerra.  
  
"But why exactly were you exiled? Was it just you two?"  
  
"Um, yes. It was just us two. We er, we made quite a lot of trouble for the queen. We didn't accept her rule quite as well as others..."  
  
"I see."  
  
"But hey, it doesn't matter." Said Yerra. "The two of us are exploring now!"  
  
"...With an assassin on our trail..." Added Jerra.  
  
Link and Karak were left together to talk as they walked for the rest of the evening. Link still didn't know what Karak needed to talk to him about, so he asked now. "Karak?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You still haven't talked to me about whatever it was you wanted."  
  
"I know." He looked across at Link. "Its hard is all. I'm not sure how to tell you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It complicated...and I'm concerned about the consequences of me telling you."  
  
Link was confused. How could this stranger possibly have something that could be so bad to tell him? "Well...alright. Whenever you feel ready. I'll be ale to listen." Link suddenly heard something behind him. Some rocks were slipping from the slope down to the path. Somebody was there... "Hey Karak, catch up to the girls. Tell them to make camp at the nearest possible place."  
  
"Why? What's up?"  
  
"Because its late, that's why." Replied Link, scanning the mountain up and down. "Go on. I have to check something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just go, alright!?" He snapped angrily.  
  
"Sure, calm down, I'm going." Karak turned away slightly annoyed and quickened his pace. Link watched him go, and then backtracked along the path. He was not going to let whatever was following them do any harm; he was going to deal with it. If it was that Zora, he was going to make sure he couldn't bother the Grimal sisters any more. He would regret getting on the wrong side of Link al'Ryak. 


	7. Chapter 6 The Assassin

Chapter 6 – The Assassin  
  
On a narrow winding path high up Death Mountain, a Zora walked along in the blazing heat. Though it was growing dark, it was not cool for him yet. He was not built for travelling through this sort of terrain, if he did not find water soon he felt as though he would pass out. He wore a thin purple travelling cloak, and was using a makeshift walking stick make out of a tree branch. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to carry out the task he was sent to do; but he felt as though quitting would make him weak, and he would not give in.  
  
Far below him now, on a flat plateau further down the mountain he saw smoke. He pulled out his seeing glass and looked through it. Sure enough, they were there. The middle Grimal sisters, and their companions; the one he had ambushed in the street the day previously was there...and there was another girl. He wiped his eyes and looked again, there was no mistaking her, that was Princess Zelda. He was sure there had been five though; he knew there were five. He scanned the surrounding area, but saw nothing, no trace of the fifth at all.  
  
Suddenly behind him, he heard a crunching and slipping of rocks. He whipped his head around, but all he saw was a great dark blur flying towards him. It grabbed hold of him around the waist, holding his arms to his body. He tried to reach for his knife in his belt, but it was thrown aside by his attacker. He was flung onto his knees, and then pushed and held down on his front with his face in the dirt, he struggled, but could not escape. He felt his arms being lashed together with rope, and then his feet also. He shouted out loud, but he was exhausted and tired and he made little sound.  
  
His attacker flung him over onto his back. As he suspected it was the fifth one, the other male. But now that he saw him up close, he recognised him. "Link al'Ryak, the Hero." He said angrily, trying to break his bonds, but failing.  
  
"I'm glad you know who I am assassin, because then you know that there is no point trying to escape." Link looked down at the pathetic form of the Zora, defeated and humiliated. "What is your name?"  
  
The Zora looked up at Link with a despising glare. "Vuto." He replied. "Vuto Valvetta. And now if you must kill me, then kill me."  
  
"I'm not going to kill you. I don't take pleasure in death like you."  
  
"You do not know me Hero, so do not judge me. I take no pleasure in death."  
  
"You're coming with me." Link untied his feet, and tied the rope around the Zora's neck instead. "Come on!" He pulled the rope angrily and Vuto was dragged onto his feet. Utterly beaten, he followed behind Link as he was led like a dog down the mountainside.  
  
Later that evening, he was seated by a fireside. Night had come full down and the moon was up in the sky. He could hear the sounds of the night, wild animals howling, insects chirping, nocturnal birds squawking. Bound by his hands and feet again, he sat uncomfortably, being watched by five pairs of eyes. He could not bear this any longer. "What are you going to do to me?" He asked at length.  
  
Link stood up and walked towards him, and then sat down in front of him. "Tell me, Vuto. What are you doing following us?"  
  
Vuto sighed and looked at the Grimal sisters. "I think you already know. I was sent by Queen Balaea to assassinate the Grimal sisters, and retrieve what they stole."  
  
"Stole?" Said Zelda, suddenly speaking up. "They haven't stolen anything, they were banished from the desert and then you were sent after them." Jerra and Yerra looked at each other nervously.  
  
"Is that what they told you?" Asked Vuto, "No, they are criminals."  
  
"Don't say another word, Zora." Said Jerra, suddenly walking towards him. "That's a lie!" Link put his arm out to stop her, and told her to sit down. Jerra retreated to her place beside her sister.  
  
"Jerra and Yerra Grimal stole a very precious jewel from Queen Balaea, the heirloom of the royal family."  
  
"Which was rightfully ours!" Said Yerra suddenly getting to her feet. "Queen Balaea stole the throne from us, and so we took back what was ours!"  
  
Vuto continued talking as though they weren't even there. "They stole the Light of Talandra. The great jewel that has been passed down generation from King Talandra Dragmire down to King Ganondorf Dragmire, gods curse his name. That jewel belonged to Queen Balaea."  
  
"It belonged to us!"  
  
"And I was sent to kill you and retrieve it. Yes, I was a hired assassin. This was just my first mission though."  
  
"So you've never actually killed anybody?" Asked Link.  
  
"No, I'm only seventeen. I couldn't even succeed at this. It's just my luck that the Hero would be with them. But I must admit, I have been having second thoughts all the time...I never really wanted to kill them. I just felt as though I had to."  
  
"I see. Tell me then. What if the girls give you back the jewel? Can you take that back to Queen Balaea and be down with it?"  
  
"Maybe, but I-"  
  
"We sold it." Announced Jerra. "We sold it for a lot of gold in Hylia, and the jewel is gone now."  
  
Vuto stared at them wide eyed. "Well then, that's it. I give up. I don't care anymore. There's no need to kill them, and I can't get back the jewel. So Queen Balaea isn't going to pay me, she'd probably have me executed instead."  
  
Link looked long and hard at Vuto then untied his bonds. Vuto just remained sitting there staring back at Link. Zelda protested, "He's an assassin! Don't let him go, he'll kill us all."  
  
"No...no he won't." Said Link confidently. "Vuto, you will stay with us tonight, and may do what you will tomorrow."  
  
"I don't believe this, Link." Zelda walked away and sat on a rock further away. Karak stood up and went to talk to her.  
  
Link looked at Vuto, trying to see his mind. The Grimal girls sat frightened, and flinched whenever he looked at them. "I will keep your weapons this evening Vuto. But I trust you to stay, and not do any harm. I believe you." Link thought for a moment, and then handed Vuto his dagger back. "Here, a sign of trust from me."  
  
"Thank you Link, you truly are a good man."  
  
"Thank you." Said Link.  
  
And so that night they all fell asleep. Only Vuto slept well that night, he slept silently and did not stir. The others all caught a few minutes of sleep here and there, but were generally too frightened; that is all excepting Link, who watched Vuto all night long, and didn't even try to sleep; but eventually let himself drift off as the sun rose. 


	8. Chapter 7 The Grandsons Of Karak

Chapter 7 – The Grandsons Of Karak  
  
Vuto awoke the following morning with a sharp jab in his side. He jerked up and grabbed the stick and thrust it towards the one who had held it. Yerra stood unmoving, the sharp point of the stick under her chin, "Its time to get up." She said.  
  
"Foolish girl." Said Vuto standing up, and dropping the stick.  
  
He crossed over the other side of the area they had slept in, to where Link was sitting sharpening a sword with a stone. Link saw him approach and stood up, handing the sword over. "Here, have it back. You may go now." Link turned aside and wandered over to where Zelda still lay sleeping, presumably to wake her up.  
  
"Link!" Called Vuto.  
  
Link turned around and came back to Vuto. "What? Do you need something else?"  
  
"I was wondering...would you mind if I came with you?" Vuto looked at him hopefully.  
  
"Do whatever you want. But me and Zelda are going to the Northern Waste, the others are going to turn east soon."  
  
"Oh. Well still, would you mind if I came?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I just want to explore. I have heard there is a great lake in the north."  
  
"Yes, there is." Confirmed Link. "Look, I really don't mind what you do. If you want to follow us into the darkest most evil place in the world, then be my guest. But don't blame me if harm befalls you."  
  
"I won't, don't worry."  
  
Within the hour, they were packed up and travelling again under the morning sun. They were walking downhill most of the time, something that all six of them were incredibly grateful for. They entered a low valley between two steep walls, with a gap only wide enough for one at once to walk through. As they emerged at the other side, the sudden increase in light was incredible. They had left the shadow of the mountain and walked out onto an immense grassy plain.  
  
"The Great Northern Plain..." Zelda whispered in awe. Link ran over to a rocky overhang, which was the end of the mountain and the beginning of the plain. He clambered up to the top of some large rocks and let the wind blow through his hair; he pulled out his sword and held it up to the sun, it was so exhilarating. The others walked up beneath him, and looked in wonder to the north. It was so far, so free. A long way in the distance they saw mountains, and the glimmer of water in the sunlight. That was the Great North Lake, that was where they were heading first.  
  
They all sat down for a while and had a rest, and took in the view. Jerra, Yerra and Zelda climbed a little way back up the mountain to get a better view. Vuto sat alone on the rock where Link had been standing; he needed time alone. This left Karak and Link together, and Karak seized this opportunity, "Link, I'm ready to talk to you now. I have to, if I am to head east soon."  
  
"Okay." Link turned to face him.  
  
"I grew up in the east," he began, "in a town by the sea. My full name is Karak al'Tyak."  
  
"So your family has the same tradition as mine? Taking one father's name as one's title name? Or indeed the mothers name if you were a girl."  
  
"Yes, your name is Link al'Ryak isn't it?"  
  
"Yes. My father's name was Ryak."  
  
Karak was clearly not sure how to put this. "Link, do you know what your father's full name was?"  
  
Link thought for a second and then realized he didn't know. "Know, I'm afraid I don't. Why?"  
  
"Because I do." He took a deep breath. "His name was Ryak al'Karak."  
  
"How do you know that? Wait, my grandfather was called Karak then? Like you?"  
  
"Yes...your grandfather's name was Karak. Karak al'Syak to be precise."  
  
"How do you know all this?" Said Link, afraid that he knew the answer.  
  
"Link, Karak al'Syak had two sons, not one."  
  
"But I thought my father was an only child."  
  
"No. That's what everybody thought, but your father and grandfather knew the truth. Karak kept it secret. But Ryak only remained silent for fear of his father."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I will tell you soon. What I need to tell you is that your grandfather's second son was Tyak. Tyak is my father."  
  
"So we're..."  
  
"Cousins."  
  
Link leaned back on his hands. He had not been expecting this from Karak at all. "So that's why we..."  
  
"Look the same, yes."  
  
"Wow...I just. Wow, I didn't see this coming." Link was utterly dumbfounded. "There's just so much I need to ask you."  
  
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, I was afraid."  
  
Link laughed. "Afraid of what?"  
  
"I was afraid that you might reject me, the way that...the way that Karak the first rejected my father."  
  
"What? What do you mean?"  
  
"Our grandmother died giving birth to my father, and Karak never forgave him for it, he was despised as a child. When my father Tyak was just six years old he ran away from his home in Hylia. He was adopted by an elderly couple and raised in the east. When he was fifteen his adoptive parents died, but he managed to get by on his own. He married my mother at the age of twenty, and some years later, she gave birth to me."  
  
"Are they still..."  
  
"Yes, they both still live in the east."  
  
Link bowed his head sadly. "My father and mother both died in the civil war, when I was just a baby. I was raised by the Kokiri."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Its alright. But all this means I have family, an aunt and uncle."  
  
"I suppose you do, yes."  
  
"But...how did you find out about me?"  
  
"You're famous. You're the Hero. It was only a matter of time before I heard your name 'al'Ryak'. My father had told be about his history and his older brother. I was named after my grandfather because my father thought it would help please his dead father. He had only ever wanted to be loved, and he thought he could make his peace that way."  
  
"I see."  
  
"Link, I don't want to go home yet. I want to stay with you and Zelda, and I've spoken to Jerra and Yerra and they feel the same way. They want to go with you all the way."  
  
Link smiled. "That's wonderful. But I don't want to put anybody in harms way."  
  
"You're safer with all of us with you."  
  
"He's right." Said Vuto, leaping down to their side. "You're going to need all of us."  
  
"Thanks." Said Link. "That means a lot to me. He stood and called to the girls who were sitting high up on a mountain ledge. "Hey, we're ready to leave!" Zelda nodded. Link turned and ran up onto the high rocky outcrop again. "To the north!" 


	9. Chapter 8 Ulaku

Chapter 8 – Ulaku  
  
For four long hard days the six companions travelled. The Great North Plain was immense, and offered little shade from the sweltering sun. For the first two days they found occasional wooded areas in which they found cover, but after that there was nothing but grassland as far as the lake that always seemed so far away. The group had begun to trust Vuto as much as Link did, but Yerra was still edgy around him. Her sister Jerra though had developed a keen interest in him, and the two spent a lot of the time travelling together talking.  
  
Fortunately, there were often rivers flowing across the plain from the east, and so they always had plenty to drink. As it turned out, Karak even exceeded Link in his ability to kill and cook food, and the two would hunt together in the evenings, and provide for the rest of the group; and although he did not like eating them himself, Vuto was able to catch fish with relative ease in the rivers, so there was never a point at which they went hungry.  
  
So despite their discomfort during the heat of day, the group got by well enough. At night they would sleep under the stars, taking it in turns for two to keep watch. Jerra and Vuto often took up this role; they enjoyed each other's company and were both unafraid of the night.  
  
Noticeably, Zelda seemed withdrawn a lot of the time. With Link and Karak often venturing further out together to hunt and Jerra and Vuto together a lot she felt like she was being obliged to talk to Yerra a lot, but the two did not keep good company. It was not that they were on unfriendly terms; they just did not have a lot to say to one another. But this was understandable between the Princess of Hylia and a Gerudo thief who was of apparent lineage to be a princess to her own people, but was denied it. One could suppose that Yerra was jealous of Zelda.  
  
And so it was that after four days, as the sun was setting, they came to a village. It was a fairly primitive village with buildings being huts built from wood and clay rather than stone, and was built across two sides of a narrow river. There was a tall wooden perimeter fence that circled the whole settlement, and a gate at the south side that the six were currently approaching. A thick forest bordered the east side, with lush tall green trees that gave a rich fragrant smell.  
  
At the gate there were two men standing as though on guard, each wielding a long spear. They had little in the way of armour however, in fact none at all. Their chests were bare, and they wore ragged trousers from their waists down to their feet, which had sandals on. They approached them now, and Link took to the front of the group. "Halt! Who enters the domain of the Ulaku?" Questioned one, aggressively.  
  
Very aware of the spear in his hand, Link replied calmly. "My name is Link al'Ryak. My company and I have travelled north from Hylia and desire safe passage through your lands, and shelter tonight also if you will allow it."  
  
"We cannot allow a group of six strangers so heavily armed into our village. You must turn back."  
  
"We mean no harm to your people, we are simple travellers."  
  
"What simple travellers would wish to go north to the wastelands? And what sort of travelling company is three hylians, two gerudos and a zora?"  
  
"I understand what you are saying but if you would just-"  
  
Zelda now stepped forward, she drew back her hood so that the guards could see her clearly and then pulled out a scroll from her tunic. She handed it to the man Link was trying to reason with. "I am Princess Zelda of Hylia. These are my protection for my journey." She gestured to the others. "I am travelling to the wastelands on an errand of the utmost importance. I desire to speak with your leader."  
  
They looked at the scroll curiously; it bore the seal of the King on it and the signatures of both Zelda and her father; as well as the symbol of the royal family. It was something she always kept as a proof of her identity in dire events. The guards spoke quietly to each other, and then turned back to Zelda. "Come with us." Said one. "All of you." They turned and walked back towards the village. Zelda smiled cunningly at the others and winked before following the guards. The others led on after her.  
  
Inside the village people stared at them curiously. There were many villagers, and they all had the same dark complexion, similar to Jerra and Yerra, and many of the men were topless like the two guards.  
  
Zelda met with the chief of the village and explained to him the true nature of their journey, omitting nothing but the part about The Shadows Within and the Heart of Evil. Chief Hamal was very understanding and offered to let them stay in the village overnight, and to give them any provisions they needed. He was an odd man in some ways, very spontaneous in the way he thought. He was probably in his late forties, but was very vigorous, and Jerra thought he was ruggedly handsome.  
  
As night came down found themselves at a great bonfire. It was a tradition that took place every three weeks, and the chief's were guests of honour. The great flames of the fire lashed at the sky menacingly. The celebration was called the Honour of Din, and a lot of the village turned up to the centre to witness it. Masked dancers danced around in elaborate costumes and chanted, whilst a heavy drum beat and eerie flutes were played. The six couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by it all, but felt glad that they were here as a part of it; they would have most likely been very frightened if they had seen this from a distance.  
  
Yerra came and sat by Link's side, and leaned up against him, "I'm cold Link." She said unhappily.  
  
"Here." He put his arm around her and she huddled up to him. "Yeah, it is cold isn't it? Even near the fire..." He looked across towards Zelda; she was sitting happily talking to Karak. For some reason, he didn't know why, this bothered him. Something wasn't right. But as he watched the dancing embers of the fire he soon drifted away from that thought. Tiredness washed over him and he leaned back onto the ground, as did Yerra. Sleep took him and he fell into a dream.  
  
He awoke early the next morning, to a pale sunlight and a grey mist. The great fire was now no more than grey ashes. He clambered to his feet and felt Yerra's hand fall off his body as he did so, he looked down at her, still fast asleep. He must have just drifted away last night. Jerra, Zelda and Karak were lying around asleep nearby. "Morning Link." Said Vuto, emerging from one of the huts carrying a large basket filled with fruit and bread. "A gift from the chief."  
  
"Oh, wonderful," Said Link, going to see closer. "He's just given us this for free?"  
  
"Apparently, yes."  
  
"So the chief is awake?"  
  
"Oh, yes. He is most awake. It's as though he hasn't slept since yesterday though."  
  
"He hasn't slept?"  
  
"I don't know." Vuto threw an apple to Link and he caught it. "Enjoy, man."  
  
"Thanks." Link took a bite from the apple and entered the chiefs hut. The chief was lying on his bed staring up at the low roof, wide eyed. "Hey, Chief Hamal!"  
  
"Link!" He said bolting upright. "I trust you are well, I've just given your Zora friend a gift from us for your travels."  
  
"I know." Said Link holding up the apple gratefully. "It's much appreciated. Are you sure that there's nothing we can't do for you? You've been so good to us after all."  
  
"Well," Said the chief, "There is one thing, but I don't want to trouble you about it if it is of any importance."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The jewel that hangs from the eldest Gerudo's neck. I quite fancy it for myself."  
  
"I'm sorry? What?"  
  
"Jerra has a jewel hanging as a necklace. Its concealed under he clothes, but its there."  
  
"How would you know that? She hasn't had her clothes off at all."  
  
"No...of course not..." Said the chief slowly. "But trust me, its there."  
  
Something suddenly struck Link, and he bolted out of the hut, looking back in and adding. "I'll be right back." He got out and called for Vuto to join him. Vuto came over curiously and Link led him across to where Jerra lay sleeping. Vuto was confused but said nothing. Quietly and carefully Link reached his hand down the back of Jerra's neck so as not to wake her and found his hand resting on a thin chain. He raised it up slowly over her head and from her chest pulled up an emerald jewel. It was large enough to hold in a clenched fist. It was a fantastic bright shade of green, and was perfectly cut; the morning light seemed to shatter upon its surface like the tide on the shore.  
  
Vuto's eyes widened. "The Light of Talandra!" He said, shocked.  
  
"Hush, don't wake her." Whispered Link.  
  
"I can't believe it, she didn't sell it; she had it all along."  
  
"Here." Said Link handing him the jewel to Vuto. "I'm giving you the freedom to take it and leave if you desire. Go back to Queen Balaea and collect your reward."  
  
Vuto held up his arm and dangled the jewel from its chain, looking at it at eye level. He stared long and hard, deep in thought. "No." He said finally "I do not want this any more. I wish to stay with you and the others."  
  
"That is well." Said Link.  
  
"But what are you gong to do with the jewel now?"  
  
Link grinned at Vuto, and walked back into the chief's hut. Vuto shrugged shoulders and returned to where he had been sleeping to gather his things, forgetting about it for the time being.  
  
Later in the morning, when the sun was full up, the group of six were once again at the gate of Ulaku. They had distributed the weight of the food between them, though the males carried more, and they were about to leave. Chief Hamal had come to see them away. "Your majesty," he said to Zelda, "It has been an honour having you stay with us, when you see your father, give him my best regards."  
  
"I will." She nodded.  
  
He now turned to Link and said a few words, "Link, Hero, it has been an honour to meet you. And I must thank you again for...well...you know."  
  
Link laughed. "You're welcome. And thank you for your hospitality Chief Hamal."  
  
"Think nothing of it." Then he addressed the others in turn, "Master Vuto, Master Karak, Miss Yerra, Miss Jerra," He winked at Jerra. "It's been a pleasure to have met you all, feel free to visit us again; you will be welcomed with open arms. And now I must bid thee all farewell, goodbye."  
  
They all said goodbye, and then parted, heading north once again towards the lake. Vuto spoke quietly to Link, "You gave him the jewel didn't you?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"But what about Jerra?"  
  
"We will see, we will see." Link laughed. "We are a day's journey away from the lake," he said to them all. "We can make it by sundown if we move swiftly. Let's get going." 


	10. Chapter 9 The House Of Grimal

Chapter 9 – The House Of Grimal  
  
The group walked on towards the lake with fond memories of the previous night. The sun was behind the clouds, and so it was cooler for a change. The group all walked together and talked as a group, which was unusual because they usually split off into twos or threes to walk. The conversation had been about their families. Vuto had told the others a little about his background, but the topic had swiftly moved once again to the subject of the Grimals. "Jerra," began Link, remembering something they had said previously, "I'm sure you and Yerra have called yourselves the 'middle' Grimal sisters. Why middle?"  
  
She laughed, "Its because we are the middle children of seven, or eight depending on how you look at it. And because we are only just under a year apart in age people always associate us with each other, and we are always together anyway come to think of it. We are too young for our older sisters and too old for our younger sisters."  
  
"How old are the rest of your family?" Asked Zelda curiously.  
  
Yerra began talking now, "Our oldest sister Lerra is twenty one, and our other older sister Nerra is eighteen. Then there's us two, at sixteen and fifteen as you know. Then there's Derra who is twelve, named after our mother; and then Deria is ten, and Leria is six."  
  
"All girls?" Asked Karak.  
  
"Gerudos." Jerra reminded him.  
  
"Ah."  
  
"Although, we do actually have a brother." Interrupted Jerra. "Or half- brother I suppose really. Our mother has had an ongoing relationship with a Hylian man, our father. We don't know him that well, but we see him a couple of times a year I guess; we Gerudos never really needed a father figure in our lives. But he has a son from a previous Hylian wife, who died. His son is named Syon, and he's twenty-five I think."  
  
"So you are Gerudos with a brother?"  
  
"It happens." Jerra smiled. "But nobody has seen Syon in years, he left home when he was nineteen to explore the world, and he hasn't been seen or heard from since. We've never really known him all that well though. Yerra was quite fond of him though when she was little."  
  
Yerra laughed, "Well he was always so nice to me. I was the youngest at the time though, apart from Derra, but she was just a baby then. I wouldn't mind seeing him again though."  
  
"Maybe you will." Said Link brightly.  
  
"I doubt it." Yerra replied gloomily.  
  
"Anyway, the house of Grimal is an ancient and noble line," continued Jerra, "as we have said, we are the true heirs to the throne of the west. We're related to Ganondorf Dragmire, curse his name." 'Curse his name' was a phrase that all Gerudos used when talking about the disgraced King. "It almost makes me wish I'd kept the Light of Talandra now."  
  
Link and Vuto's eyes slid sideways and watched Jerra suspiciously. Her hand moved to her chest discreetly, and she looked as though she was feeling for something. She suddenly stopped dead. The others looked back at her, Link grinning to himself. "What's up?" Asked Yerra concerned.  
  
"Oh, nothing." Said Jerra quickly. "I just...no, it doesn't matter." She caught up. "No need to stop, let's keep going."  
  
Yerra seemed to honestly not know about the jewel having being kept, but it could be an act. She didn't suspect anything now though at any rate. Jerra looked worried, to both Link and Vuto's amusement.  
  
That evening, and it was already dark, they drew close to the lake. They decided to wait and make the final trip in the morning so that they could arrive in the morning light. Chief Hamal had warned them the previous night that there were strange folk about in the lake lands, wild dangerous folk that hunted and killed strangers, and that they should keep watch, so Vuto and Jerra went to scout the area.  
  
The others sat down around a fire and watched the dancing embers flicker up into the starry sky. 


	11. Chapter 10 Closer

Chapter 10 – Closer  
  
The thousand stars of heaven's field were reflected in the great lake. It was like a second sky, so vast and clear. It was so far across that mountains stretched along its west side; and it was difficult to see the other side, because it was just so far away. The moon was full tonight, but was stained a faint red colour; Link felt as though it was an omen.  
  
Their small campfire burned brightly, illuminating all of their faces with an orange glow, whilst ashes and embers were blown slowly up into the sky in smoke that trailed across towards the lake. Jerra and Vuto were still away, and the others were not willing to go to sleep yet, they felt unsafe. So they sat on some fallen logs from the nearby wood, and watched the flames flicker.  
  
Link was sitting sharpening his sword viciously. He was not hiding the fact that something was bothering him all that well. Furiously he scraped his sharpening stone against the steel blade. But his eyes were not on what he was doing, he kept looking across to Karak and Zelda who were sitting together near the other side of the fire. They talking and laughing together like they had been in Ulaku, and once again Link was frustrated. A number of times Karak had had his hand on Zelda, and a number of times she had been touching him. Link could see was going on just as well as the next fool could.  
  
He looked away angrily and swung his sword at the air, giving it a couple of jabs in front of him. They looked his way for a moment then returned to each other. Link kept pretending he was tending to his sword, scraping it so furiously though that some sparks even flew off it.  
  
A soft hand placed itself on his shoulder. "Hi Link." Yerra stepped over the log and sat down beside him.  
  
He looked at her and smiled, relieved that there was something to draw away his attention. "Hey Yerra, how are you?"  
  
"I'm doing alright..." She seemed quite distant this evening, and her skin looked paler than usual.  
  
"Good," said Link glancing back to Zelda.  
  
"You have feelings for her don't you?"  
  
"Wha-" Link spun back to Yerra; she grinning at him. "I er-"  
  
"Oh come on Link, its so obvious."  
  
"It is? I mean...you think I have feelings for her?"  
  
"Of course, I wasn't born yesterday."  
  
Link looked at Yerra curiously, lit by the yellow light of the fire she was very beautiful this evening. "Does she know?"  
  
"I don't think so. Prophetic dreamer she may be, but her intuition is a little off sometimes."  
  
"Right."  
  
"But you don't see yourself ever being with her do you?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You have feelings for her, but you never act upon them. I can only assume that it's because you are either too close to her as a friend that she's almost family...or maybe because you are intimidated by the fact that she's a princess."  
  
"Something like that. Doesn't seem to be a problem for Karak though, I mean just look at him." Yerra did not look at him though; she kept her eyes fixed on Link.  
  
She put her hand on his, "Maybe though, what you're looking for is closer than you think." She moved closer and leaned against him. He knew what she was doing, and he didn't protest, it felt right somehow. He looked at her with a deep emotion and moved in closer to her, he rested his forehead up against hers. She giggled and he laughed as well, this was nice, this was wonderful. Their noses touched, and now Zelda as far from his mind as she possibly could be.  
  
"We've to go!" Vuto ran straight into the middle of the camp, shouting. "Get your stuff and lets go. Yerra turned her head away to speak to him, and Link then turned towards him as well. Jerra appeared as well, sweating, out of breath.  
  
"What's going on?" Asked Karak, who was on his feet already?  
  
"Wild men, they...they're right behind us. We've got to go now!" Vuto and Jerra had already put their packs on, and were stamping out the fire. In desperation he threw his water canteen over it, which pretty much did the job.  
  
"We'll need that water!" Screeched Jerra.  
  
"We're right near the lake!"  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
Link, Yerra, Zelda and Karak had put on their packs now, completely stunned by the sudden disturbance.  
  
"Come on! Let's go!" Vuto and Jerra took off in the rough direction of the mountains. Seeing the urgency of the situation, the others hurried after, there would be time for questions later. 


	12. Chapter 11 Lakelanders

Chapter 11 – Lakelanders  
  
Into the black of the night, the six companions ran. Four of them without any idea of what it was that they were running from. They had nothing but the moon and stars to light their way, and their only idea of direction was from the position of the lake. They were running in the direction of the mountains, the direction they would have had to take around the lake the following morning in any case. Sometimes they heard shouting behind them, and an occasional flicker of torchlight from a flame, but they were only fleeting things, their pursuers were trying to track them silently.  
  
After some time they slowed down and kept going at a quick walking pace. Quite breathless, Link came to Vuto's side. "What is," he gasped for breath, "Who is following us?"  
  
Vuto was suffering the most; he not was built for running on land for this long. "Wild men, Lakelanders. Me and Jerra saw a fire and went to investigate," he coughed, "and one of their scouts saw us. Then they started chasing us."  
  
"How many?"  
  
"At least ten."  
  
"Tell me honestly, will they be able to catch us?"  
  
"I really don't know, Link. I'm sorry."  
  
The night wore on, and still they kept going, no sign now from behind. They had been moving parallel to the lake's southern shore, but had moved steadily nearer to it. They took breaks here and there, but nobody wanted to waste time, least of all Jerra and Vuto, who seemed petrified by what they had seen. They lost all track of time, and only as the first beams of sunlight stretched across the land from behind them in the east they felt some safety at last.  
  
The land at the lakeshore was sandy, and here they stopped and collapsed with exhaustion, and admired the view. Vuto lay down in the shallow water of the lake and rolled over in it, an ecstatic look on his face. He waded a little way out and swam, taking some breaths underwater. He looked totally refreshed when he emerged a few minutes later, smiling. Still nervous, but smiling.  
  
Karak was edgy though, he had the feeling that they had let themselves gain a false sense of security. He clambered up a ledge back up onto to the grassy fields, and looked back across the plain towards Death Mountain, all around, scanning it carefully. Then, running from some shady trees only two hundred feet away, he saw a group of men running forwards, long swords drawn. "Link!" He shouted, "They're coming!"  
  
Link clambered up to the ledge and saw for himself, disbelieving that they had managed to come so close. "There's no way to escape!" Link yelled, drawing his long shining sword. "If they want us, they're gonna have to fight!" Vuto had leaped up also now; he drew out his sword in his right hand and held his dagger reversed in his left hand. Karak pulled out his sword too, his arm was trembling.  
  
"Link," he said frightened, "I don't want to die."  
  
"Then don't." Said Link fiercely, with a fixed glare on the wild men. They wore animal skins, and had red stripes on their faces, and their thick black hair was ragged and uncut. Link counted them. "Twelve." He said nervously.  
  
Jerra and Yerra appeared at their side, each wielding their broad bladed Gerudo scimitars. "Wild dogs," Spat Jerra, "we'll teach 'em to mess with the Grimals.  
  
"Yeah!" Said Yerra, looking strangely savage now, very different to Link's memory of her last night.  
  
Then Zelda was there as well; hair tied back, a look on her face that Link remembered from a long time ago. Between her fingers she held long sharp war needles and she had tucked two throwing knives into her belt. "It looks like you're going to witness the art of battle practiced by the Royal family; don't worry about me."  
  
"What do you want!?" Demanded Link as they drew close enough.  
  
"We want blood!" Shouted their leader.  
  
"Then you'll get blood!" Link ran to the leader, and clashed swords. He made a swipe on his right shoulder, and his blade was pushed aside, Link was kicked back, but leaped aside. His sword fell down on his enemy's arm, and he screamed in pain. Link thrust his sword into his chest and knocked him down to the ground. "Anyone else!?" Shouted Link at the other wild men.  
  
It seemed there were others that wanted blood though, and they ran straight at him. Jerra and Yerra ran to meet two of them, blades sliding and scraping. Link had taken on two more, swinging left and right and ducking to fight both of them.  
  
Zelda threw herself at one, and with one needled hand, caught his sword. She threw her other arm at him and jabbed at his face. She caught one of his eyes and he screamed in pain. Another ran at Zelda and she kicked at his chest, then with grace like the wind she flipped back over the first, snapping his arm that was caught in her needles, and she caught his sword as he dropped it, plunging it into his back.  
  
Meanwhile, Vuto and Karak had run into the fray. Vuto was fighting two, and was heavily out matched. With his two blades, he was able to keep them at bay though. Karak was struggling though, and he had fallen to the ground. Seeing this, Zelda hurled a throwing knife at Karak's attacker. It hit his arm, and he reeled in pain. Karak took the chance, and drove his sword into him.  
  
Blood was everywhere, and the air was rank with it; it was like poison. It was this that fuelled Link though. Jerra appeared at his side and took on one of Link's, having killed one already, but this man pushed her down, he loomed over her laughing menacingly. Vuto saw her peril and with a burst of strength cleaved off the head of the man he was fighting. He jumped off his feet and soared through the air, ramming into the side of Jerra's oppressor. They both crashed to the floor, and he held him pinned. But then, another lakeman saw him there and raised his weapon, and before anything could be done, it came crashing down upon Vuto's back.  
  
Blood flew and he screamed in agony, abandoning his blade. "No!" Yelled Jerra and slew the attacker in one blow, cracking his skull open.  
  
The wild men's numbers were heavily reduced now. A number lay dead, and they could see they were not going to win this fight. Yerra sent another one to the ground, and the remaining ones backed away, and then ran. They fled into the distance like a pack of dogs, covered in crimson.  
  
Jerra fell to her knees at Vuto's side and pushed aside the dead, bloody bodies. She grabbed his hand. "Vuto, where are you bleeding? We've got to stop the blood."  
  
The others noticed this and wandered over slowly and fearfully. Vuto's eyes were sad and beaten, and he lay on the ground defeated. "It's too late Jerra...I can't survive..."  
  
Zelda had torn off some of her clothing and came to his side, to try and bandage him; but he just held his arm up to her. "Don't Zelda, there is know point now." He coughed, and blood erupted from his mouth. He looked up at Link and tried to smile, "Hero, it was an honour to fight beside you..." His head tilted limply to the side and Jerra supported it. "Jerra...promise me...leave my body to the lake, I wish to rest as all my people do."  
  
"You can't die!" She cried, tears dripping down onto his body. "Not now!"  
  
The others looked on helplessly, not knowing what to do or how to feel.  
  
"Goodbye Jerra..." He shut his eyes and his body fell totally loose.  
  
"No, you can't die, you can't!" She pleaded with him, but it was already too late.  
  
Yerra put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "He's gone."  
  
Vuto Valvetta died on the shores of the Great North Lake, apart from his own people but with his friends. Now he could hear the tide and saw white shores, and was gone forever from the world. 


	13. Chapter 12 Moongrace

Chapter 12 – Moongrace  
  
Vuto's body floated out into the lake, held afloat by a loose raft. The raft was not intended to support for very long. He drifted away from them, and the morning light shone over mountain peaks on the east shore of the lake, lighting him up like a spirit. Jerra was kneeling in the shallow water crying, beside her Yerra held her trying to comfort her, on the edge of tears herself. Zelda sat by herself, head buried in her hands. Link and Karak sat up on the ledge watching as he floated away. It was too hard to come to terms with, and they just sat wide-eyed, trying to understand, they couldn't help crying a bit, and they didn't try to hide it. Out in the lake, the raft fell apart as it had been intended to, and Vuto's body fell silently into the depths. At this, Jerra burst into even more tears and collapsed in the sand; they had been very close, and he had been taken away so suddenly, it was too hard. It was wrong, it was so wrong.  
  
Zelda stood up and threw a flower into the lake saying, "Goodbye Vuto Valvetta. You were good and true...and I'm sorry we ever doubted you...I'm so sorry..." She fell to her knees and started crying now too, and Karak ran down and put his arm around her, and whispered something into her ear. She rested her chin on his shoulder, and the two stood quietly. Link didn't know what to do with himself, and so just fell down on the grass, staring up at the sky.  
  
They stayed there for a long time, and eventually for Jerra there came a point where she had no more tears, and could cry no more. They were all sitting together on the sand, Karak and Link were throwing rocks across the water, seeing who could throw stones the furthest, but this didn't do much to clear their minds.  
  
Later in the afternoon, as the sun reached full noon, they spotted something in the distance on the lake. White sails were moving towards them from the north. Karak nudged Link and pointed to it. "What do you suppose that is?"  
  
"Fishing ship," replied Link wearily, hurling another rock into the lake. It skimmed over the still water and then disappeared.  
  
"Maybe we can get a lift across to the other side."  
  
"Yeah..." Link didn't seem too bothered. Nobody did really; their hearts were heavy, and filled with denial.  
  
"Look, we need to put him behind us and-" The others glared at harshly. "That's not what I meant. I mean, we have a mission, Vuto said he wouldn't slow us down, and he wouldn't want us to sit here like this. Karak looked at the ship, "Its coming closer."  
  
It was, and very fast. A wind had kicked up from the north, and the ship was moving quickly towards them. They had been deceived of its size as it turned out, it looked like it was very big on the horizon, but it was smaller and nearer really, and in ten minutes, the sails were raised and it drifted nearby them. The name on the side of the ship read 'Moongrace'. A man walked out on deck and called down to them. "Hey ho! What be you doing here on the shore?" He was hard to make out very clearly, but he was bearded with a black tunic.  
  
"Leave us be." Said Link.  
  
"No wait!" Called Karak, "Can you grant us passage across the lake? We are on very important business."  
  
"Oh, I don't know about that." He replied uncertainly, "There be five of you, and we can't be pushing the limits of the boat can we now?"  
  
"Really, you would be helping us no end!" He looked at Zelda, "Tell him you're the Princess, go on." Zelda just looked up at Karak blankly and then returned to her vacant gazing over the lake.  
  
The boat was a little nearer now, and he could make out another man moving out onto the deck. "What's going on Serter?" He asked the first.  
  
"These people want passage over the lake with us." He answered loudly.  
  
"Really?" The other looked down at the five people on the shore, his eyes drawn to the two red haired girls, Gerudos. "Hey there, Miss Gerudo!" He shouted curiously to them.  
  
Jerra looked up and gasped, she shook Yerra's shoulder, and when she saw who was on the boat she let out a shocked yelp. "Syon!"  
  
"Yerra? Jerra? Is that you?"  
  
"Yes! Syon, I can't believe it!" Jerra and Yerra ran out into the water and waded closer to the boat so that they could see him.  
  
Karak leaned over to Link, "Who is this guy?"  
  
"Don't you remember? Yesterday morning they were talking about their family; Syon is their half-brother."  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
Syon called over to the girls enthusiastically, "Sure, you can board, all of you! The fish aren't biting at all, something has disturbed the water today..."  
  
Half an hour later the five were stood at the stern of the boat, watching the southern shore move steadily away from them. The boat moved gracefully through the water, leaving white froth in its wake. White birds flew above them, soaring gracefully and swooping down to the lake surface to catch fish; unfortunately they were not fish in the great schools that the boatmen wanted. A spray of wind and fresh lake water blew over them and made their hair and clothes shake in the wind.  
  
Cold, they retreated below decks and sat near a small metal fire in the wall. Karak sat with his arm around Zelda and she had her head resting on his shoulder, they had each other now for comfort. Yerra and Jerra were trying to take their mind off things by talking to Syon. Syon was tall and strong, with dark hair and a short beard. He was twenty-five as the girls had said he was, and was very friendly and lively; something which he had to tone down when he learned what the they had all just been through. It was curious Link thought, that Syon had some similarities facially with Karak, and therefore himself also he supposed. It was not in a major way, but the shape of his jaw, the shape of his nose; there was similarity no doubt.  
  
With the Grimal sisters talking to Syon though all evening, and Karak and Zelda too miserable and wound up in themselves to say or do anything, Link was left by himself. He went up onto the prow of the boat, they were heading north now as there had been a very quick change of wind, and the captain deemed it sensible to return to port as there was no point searching for fish that were simply not there. It was dark now, night had fallen quickly, days were shorter up here. There were storm clouds ahead, and they reflected the mood of the company completely. They had been told that there was a town at the north of the lake, the most northernmost dwelling of civil Lakelanders in the Northern Reach. After that, they would be facing the wasteland, and then...Link gazed into the distance, and just as he was thinking about them, a bold of lighting burst down from the sky illuminating the Mountains of Darkness on the horizon. Link's spine shivered, and he looked down at the water to get it out of his mind. There could be more death before this was over. He turned and walked away, head bowed silently.  
  
He made his way to the sleeping quarters quietly and slipped into one of the hammocks. He shut his eyes and tried to get to sleep, dreams of storms and blood and death plagued his mind. 


	14. Chapter 13 The Curse Of The Heart

Chapter 13 – The Curse Of The Heart  
  
Link was woken by a violent shaking on his shoulder, "Link wake up!" It was Zelda, she looked very distressed. "You need to come, its Yerra!"  
  
"What's going on?" He said, sitting up, still half-asleep.  
  
"She's fallen ill, something is terribly wrong with her. Get up and come to the main room."  
  
"Sure." He yawned, trying to remember what he had been dreaming about, but he couldn't. He rolled onto his side and fell right out of his hammock, hitting the wooden floor hard. "Argh!" He had landed on his side, and now struggled to get up; he was not accustomed to sleeping in a hammock. He staggered to his feet and walked out of the dark room into a corridor. Squinting, he felt his way to the end of the corridor.  
  
Karak, Zelda and Jerra were huddled together around somebody on the floor. Yerra lay on the floor, pale and cold. Syon was there too, and some other sailors. Syon was feeling her forehead, "She is alive no doubt, but something is making her sick, and it does not look as though she has a conventional illness. It as though something "Yerra's eyes did not open, her face appeared calm, but her body looked agitated. "It is as though something has gripped her from...within herself."  
  
Zelda shot a glance at Link, and he understood what she was thinking. Then she looked down at Yerra and pleaded with Syon. "Can you do anything for her?"  
  
"I can only keep her safe, I cannot heal her. But hark...it sounds like we have reached the port. We can take Yerra to a doctor." He kissed her on the forehead, "I won't let any harm befall you, sister." Then he faced a couple of the other sailors assertively, saying, "We will need a stretcher."  
  
Ten minutes later, Link was walking along the plank down onto the quayside, looking down upon the town they had arrived him. He was shocked that such a place could exist so far north, but here it was. The sky above was blue, and all of 'Gaien' was lit up magnificently. The houses were all built from light grey brick, and all reasonably spaced along many wide paved streets. All the windows lead patterned, and all the doors had black handles and hinges. There was a fresh smell of fish by the waterside, and gulls circled above squawking gleefully. Men were leaving the ship behind him, carrying crates and nets, glad that they were home.  
  
He now realised that the lake was really more of a sea. After all, it had taken them an entire afternoon and night to cross from the south; and this town could well have been a sea port.  
  
Syon, Jerra and Zelda were attending to Yerra, and Karak had already wandered off into the town; so having little else to do, Link walked down from the quayside into the streets.  
  
At first, there was no sign that anything was wrong, but it soon became apparent to him as he explored the town that it was very quiet in Gaien. He rounded a corner into another street and gazed at it confusedly, it was utterly devoid of people. "Hello!?" He called, there was response. He moved up to a house and peered into the window, he was horrified. Lying in the middle of a room, a mother and daughter were crouching over a father, and he jut lay still and silent...exactly as Yerra was.  
  
He jumped as somebody came running around the corner he had come from. He stepped away from the window and called to the man. He was dressed in a tall black hat and a dark green robe, with a purple and gold tunic underneath. "Hey there," Link called, "can you help me please?"  
  
He stopped and looked at Link, he seemed like he had to be somewhere else urgently. "Oh..." He glanced up the street. "Yes, but be quick; what is it!?"  
  
"What is going on here? My friend fell sick on the boat, and I have just seen a man here with the same condition."  
  
"Its happening everywhere! Don't you know? The whole town is in disarray. We have sent word to other towns by carrier birds, even to Hylia. We have had only one message back though. They say the same thing is happening to them!"  
  
"What is it though?" Link pleaded.  
  
"A curse! Yes, a curse from the gods, they are displeased! Everybody is dying! People fall into a deep sleep, and after two weeks or so, they just stop breathing. And it doesn't get spread by contact, it just grips random people from within!" Within; that was the second time it had been described this way. "There is no cure!"  
  
Link suddenly turned and ran away from the man with a sudden thought, heading back to the ship, back to Zelda. She was watching as sailors carried Yerra on a stretcher into the town. Link told them to stop. "Zelda, there is nothing we can do for Yerra. The same thing has happening to people everywhere, all over Hyrule."  
  
"What?"  
  
"A man told me in the town...Zelda, this is the wave of death that we were sent to stop. It is the curse of the Heart of Evil."  
  
"You mean..."  
  
"We have to go now!" He said sharply. "With every day that passes more and more people will die. Including Yerra if we don't get going now."  
  
"Right." Said Zelda. "Jerra! Karak!" She shouted, Karak had come back and was talking to Jerra. They turned and faced her.  
  
"Me and Link are leaving now, we have to keep going. This curse is what I was told to stop in my dreams. We have to destroy the Heart of Evil to end this. Me and Link are leaving right now and going across the wasteland to the mountains." Closer now than last night, the mountains loomed in the distance. Shrouded in cloud and storms. "If you are still coming with us, then get your things and follow us."  
  
Karak picked up his bag and came to their side, "I will follow you two to the end, I owe it to you now, and Yerra."  
  
Jerra looked down at her sister, and then knelt and stroked her forehead, "Yes, I won't abandon you now, I must come for Yerra's sake; and I will not let Vuto's death be in vain." She had fire in her eyes once more, and had been strengthened by her loss, and the time for grieving was past her. She took her things and joined the other three.  
  
Syon, who had been standing close by spoke up, "Don't worry about Yerra, I will care for her here. I do not know fully what it is that you have been sent to do, but I wish you speed and success. Your majesty, Hero, Master Karak; it has been a pleasure to travel with you. Jerra, I love you, please stay safe."  
  
Jerra smiled, "I will."  
  
"Right," Said Link with a pressing tone, "We must leave. Goodbye Syon, I wish you all the best, and goodbye for now Yerra, I will save you."  
  
Everybody else said goodbye, and then they made for their way through the dying town to the northern gate. They took their first steps out towards The Great North Waste. Before them, the grassy ground slowly became blackened and riveted, and riddled with ashen sand. A foul wind blew across them, and Link felt a pain tug at his heart. "I have not come this far to give up." He took a deep breath in and out and started walking northwards. "I will go to the ends of the earth."  
  
"Yeah!" Karak shouted out and ran after him.  
  
Jerra nodded to Zelda and followed on. "To the ends of the earth..." Zelda whispered to herself, and pulling her pack over her shoulders, followed on to the black lands. 


	15. Chapter 14 Vengeance

Chapter 14 – Vengeance  
  
For the first time in days, Link and Zelda were alone together. As they walked into the shadow of the wasteland, they had both become increasingly uneasy about what lay ahead; and now they stayed close together. Karak and Jerra were also walking together more frequently. It was the morning of the third day since they had left Gaien, and with a decreasing amount of food, and hardly any water, the strain was heavy on all four of them. Still they trudged on, trying to keep their spirits up.  
  
The land was rocky and uneven, and sometimes they passed through low narrow passages and caverns. There was next to no grass, and the only plants were dead-looking weeds that crept over boulders and below the gritty gravel and ash and sand. The mountains drew ever closer, and ever darker. And it felt that every passing second, every step, was another step towards doom.  
  
"Link," began Zelda, "I need to tell you something."  
  
Link looked at her curiously then looked forwards to the mountains again. "What is it?"  
  
She sighed, a weary beaten sigh, "I just want you to know, that what you are doing for me. Coming with me all this way north...well, everything you've ever done for me...I'm truly grateful. I owe you my life, and I know I don't act like it sometimes but you mean a lot to me." Link wasn't sure what to reply, so he let her keep talking. "I just want you to know that...that I love you, and no matter what happens to us in the next few days, I always will. You've been the greatest friend anyone could ever wish for."  
  
Link smiled and put his arm around her, "I love you too Zelda." This is what he had been missing, this self-understanding. He didn't need to love her as a husband loves his wife, more as a brother loves his sister. She was his closest friend in all the world, and that was what he needed to know. "And if some evil befalls us ahead, I want you to know that you are very dear to me, and I will always be with you."  
  
She leaned his head on his shoulder, "Thank you."  
  
Karak and Jerra were discussing their homelands. They came from the east and the west, and so knew little about each other's culture. It was by this that they came once again onto the subject of the Grimals being the heirs of the desert. "You know Jerra, you really ought to do something about all this. If your family truly are the heirs to Ganondorf Dragmire-  
  
"Curse his name-"  
  
"Then you ought to take back what is rightfully yours."  
  
"I know, but what can we do?"  
  
"Overthrow Queen Balaea. Muster an army."  
  
Jerra laughed, "There is no way that is possible. Who would fight for the gerudos?"  
  
Karak thought hard, but said finally, "I don't know."  
  
"See. Hey Karak, do you want to know something?"  
  
"Um...okay sure."  
  
"You know the Light of Talandra? The gem that Vu-...The jewel that Vuto was sent to retrieve from me and Yerra?"  
  
"Yeah, what about it?"  
  
"I didn't sell it, I kept it all along. But after we left Ulaku, it was missing."  
  
"You kept it? Then how did you lose it?"  
  
"I don't know. But I have a feeling it was stolen in the village. So when this is all over, I'm going to go back there and see if I can find it. If we ever were to try and overthrow Queen Balaea, having the jewel would really help."  
  
"I suppose it would..."  
  
"Wait, stop!" Link suddenly shouted. The looked over towards him, he was about twenty yards away to their right, he had drawn his sword and was looking around cautiously. He took a few short steps, then said slowly, "We're not alone." Then he shouted out, "They've tracked us from the south! Draw your swords!"  
  
Even as he said this, something leaped off a ledge above him and came crashing down. Link sidestepped it and thrust his sword upwards. A wildman fell down upon him, but was impailed upon the blade and killed. Link clambered to his feet and pulled up his sword. Six wildmen emerged from the higher ground above the pass they were in and leapt down. They were caught between two groups of three with no way out. Jerra pulled out her sword and ran at one without a second thought to what they were doing here. "Die!!" She screamed. Karak followed her pulling out his sword engaging in battle with two wildmen at once.  
  
Link and Zelda ran at the other three, Zelda pulling out two long daggers, Link with his sword braced. They fought fiercely, and Link now fought with a clear mind. Sharp metal crashed and banged as they attacked their foes side by side. It was now not a matter of defeating them, but a matter of enacting a vengeance upon them.  
  
"This is for Vuto!" Screamed Jerra, and her scimitar sliced across the face of a wildman, sending him to the floor. She kicked him in the chin then jammed her blade in his chest. Then she turned and kicked at one Karak fought, he crashed down into the other and she leapt on them and slew them viciously. "I am Jerra Grimal! Remember that name in your death, remember the one you died to. She hacked at their necks and left them in a pool of blood.  
  
Link and Zelda were relieved when Karak and Jerra ran to their side. They tore apart their oppressors, and when one was left he ran, stumbling onto his knees and falling, dropping his sword. Link picked him onto his back, and spat on him. But the wildman kneeled up and pleaded with him, "We have followed all this way to avenge the death of our friends. We never meant this to be personal."  
  
"Personal!?" Link shouted. "It got personal when you attacked us without cause save for a blood lust! It got personal when you savages butchered our friend."  
  
"Please, spare me!"  
  
"What did you hope to achieve? What good ever comes of death!?"  
  
"There is no good in death! Please forgive me!"  
  
The others stood around him, filled with sorrow and rage for Vuto's death.  
  
"Forgive you!?"  
  
"Like you said, there is no good in death. Please don't kill me."  
  
Link looked down at this pathetic wreck, into his hollow brown eyes. The blood streaming from his torso and arms. "No. There is no good in death... There is no good in anything." He took up his sword and thrust it into the face of the wildman. Blood flew and there was a scream for a half a second, then silence rocked the dead lands. 


	16. Chapter 15 No Going Back

Chapter 15 – No Going Back  
  
A bolt of lightning blasted down from the black sky and struck a mountain peak; and as a ravenous thunder rocked the air and shook the land, rocks and debris were cast down upon the dead terrain. And amidst all the storms and thunder and shaking of the mountains, there was still an eerie dead silence across the ground on which Link now stood. He looked up at the mountain before him, riddled with razor sharp rocks and ash-plated walls. Behind him Zelda, Jerra and Karak looked on silently, gazing in awe and horror at the way before them. A path led up on a steep slope into the mountains, and it was waiting for them to move onto it. "We've come so far..." Said Link, turning back to face them. "This is it, we are here now. We are beneath the Mountains of Darkness, the northern brink of this world. And now..." The others waited expectantly for him to continue. "And now..." He paused once more. "...There is no going back. Leastways, not for me."  
  
"And not for me either," said Zelda. "This is my task, and I will see it though to the end." Zelda walked to his side.  
  
"Of course," began Link again, addressing Jerra and Karak, "me and Zelda must continue. We have got to go on, or the entire world will perish. But still I lay no bond upon you to come further than you wish. Look at this place. This place endures as though it survives and feeds on suffering. Can you feel it draining your soul away? I know I can." Link slumped onto a rock, and sighed. "I say to you two now, I would not have you come with us. Zelda and myself are warriors of destiny, and our fate is tied to Hyrule; but I fear for your safety if you come with us. I would not have you fall to the same fate as Vuto."  
  
"I'm with Link on this," said Zelda, "This is not a place for you. There is so much at stake, and this is so far beyond you; and I say that only out of the deepest concern for you. I would not be able to live with myself if anything were to happen..."  
  
Jerra and Karak looked at them sternly, unsure at first what to say back. Then at length Karak spoke, "Zelda, you do not need to worry about me. I am coming with you to the end."  
  
"You can't," pleaded Zelda, "I love both of you too much to see any harm befall you."  
  
"She's right," said Link, and coming to look eye to eye with his cousin. "Karak, it's not for you to come, and you do not need to feel obliged. You have already done so much for us, both of you. We could never had made it this far without you, but now your part is over, and you cannot come with us." He put his hand on Karak's shoulder, and Karak put his other hand on Link's shoulder.  
  
"Link, I am not going to abandon you now. Not now. Not after we have come so far."  
  
Jerra started laughing though, and then she looked up and smiled. There was a tear running down from one eye. "Link, Zelda, have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of the Grimals? I am not going to leave you. I am bound to this just as much as you two now; and I owe it to you to finish what I agreed to start. I owe it you, to Vuto, to Yerra, to all Hyrule...to myself. I am coming with you; come fire or high water."  
  
Zelda was deeply touched by this, and a tear ran from her eye now. She embraced Jerra and started crying a little more openly, "Bless you Jerra. Bless you, your determination, your spirit, your soul. But I..."  
  
"Zelda, I am coming with you."  
  
"As am I," said Karak strongly, "Link; you and Zelda speak of destiny. Well I know I was destined to come with you. There is a reason we met when we did, and this is the reason. I am supposed to come with you, and I will. As Jerra said, I have to do this for Vuto's sake, and for Yerra. And me helping you is destiny, because I know it is in doing this that I can appease my restless soul, and the soul of my father, and the spirit of Karak senior."  
  
"Thank you." Said Link, simply. "Thank you Karak." Then grandsons of Karak embraced, and both felt a newer strength coming to them. "Thank you so much."  
  
Then Link broke away and turned to face the mountains. "The fortress lies ahead, and I will not stop till death me. This is it." He took a step onto the mountain track, and Zelda joined his side. The others followed behind side by side and hand in hand for fear of what lay along the road. Link through his head up triumphantly in the air and let the ravaging wind blow through his hair. "There is no going back." 


	17. Chapter 16 The End Of The Road

Chapter 16 – The End Of The Road  
  
The pass into the mountains very quickly became a dead end, narrowing steadily until it came to an impassable point. The rock itself was like nothing that they had come across before. It was a dull black, and often dusty, but in some places it was a clear glass-black, as though it was made of onyx. The track under their feet  
  
They had no choice now but to climb, and climb they did. They made their way slowly up the rock face, heaving all their bodyweight, struggling to find a place to rest their feet. One by one they reached the top. Then, after a fleeting second of satisfaction, they looked up at the impossibility before them. The entire way up the mountain was rocky and barren, sheer cliff after sheer cliff, dead walls, and evil presence everywhere. Link moved towards the next one confidently, without looking back, but was stopped by a harsh cry, "Link!" Jerra was staring at Karak wide eyed, looking deeply worried, and it was clear why. Karak had turned completely pale, and had fallen back against the wall and was slipping to the ground. Link came running, but Karak had already fallen.  
  
"Karak!" He shouted, but then his expression changed. "The Curse of the Heart of Evil has struck him," he said, horrified. "Karak, can you not hear me?" Karak's eyes had closed, and now he lay still, unmoving, cold and lifeless, like all those others that were dying.  
  
Zelda ran to his side, and put her hand on his forehead, "Oh Karak, why?" She lay on his body, almost crying, then looked up at Jerra. "Jerra, there is nothing we can do for him. But you will have to stay with him now to see that nothing happens to him."  
  
They had accepted Karak's situation very fast, the urgency to keep going was so much. "Yes, Jerra. Stay with Karak, there is nothing you can do." Link was very desperate.  
  
"But-" Jerra was stunned. "Why-"  
  
"Me and Link have to keep going. Karak will be fine, but only if we carry on now unhindered. Watch over him."  
  
"Yes...alright." Jerra nodded, and Link and Zelda turned to the mountain face again.  
  
At the top of the next cliff, Zelda fell flat on her face in exhaustion, and Link had to pull her back up onto her feet.  
  
The path levelled here, but they walked around the side of the mountain, gaining little height. Thunder shook the earth again, and they trembled with fear. They said little, and ate and drank nothing. There was no reason left in food, all they could think about now was getting higher. Getting higher and finding the place they were looking for.  
  
Along the way, they fell often as the path gave way beneath them. Blood ran from Link's face, and Zelda's body was bruised and bleeding. But they would not give in. Link and Zelda struggled on against all hope, every breath they drew pulling them closer to death. And with every passing hour they grew weaker, and the evil grew stronger. Walking hunched and crawling, they made their slow way through the gathering doom of the mountains.  
  
And then there came a point where they could not go on. Zelda collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and Link came to her side, and fell down also. Lying together up against a high rocky wall, Link and Zelda held each other tight, and tried to shelter from the torturous rain and raging winds. Blood ran from their faces and their arms and their legs, and there were tears in their eyes. They had come so far, and could go no further. Then amidst all the chaos and pain, Link's mind fell from the sorrow and a happy thought passed his mind. "Zelda...do you remember when we first met?" He looked at her gently, trying to shut out everything that was so wrong. "Late in the afternoon, on a warm spring day..."  
  
"Yes..." She smiled, and Link brushed his hand along her hair. "I can feel it..." She shut her eyes, and her body relaxed. "A breeze was blowing, and the flowers were swaying gently, and the birds were singing..."  
  
"The water was cool, and ran calm and clear in the river..."  
  
"Music was playing in the castle..."  
  
"The sun was shining brightly..."  
  
"It was beautiful..." Zelda turned onto her side and looked into Link's weary eyes. He smiled back at her.  
  
Link's mind was freed from the grief, and now there as nothing but the two of them. And now, at the end of all things, he knew how he truly felt. "But there was nothing there was more radiant than you...and once I saw you I knew I would never see anything more divine upon the face of the earth. I've known since the first time I ever laid eyes upon you Zelda...I love you."  
  
Zelda was crying, from happiness or pain or both, he didn't know. "Yes Link, I know. I have always loved you."  
  
The two of them were clinging to each other so tightly, and as lighting flashed and thunder roared and black rain hailed down upon them, everything was suddenly lighter upon them. "Link," Zelda cried, "I cannot go on like this. I cannot go on living in darkness and death. There should only be good in this world. All the evil must go, and the sun should shine forth upon this land once more. When this is all over, we must be together always, and never be apart again."  
  
"I know," Tears were streaming from his face, mixed with hers, "there's so much wrong now, it's not right..."  
  
"...And here we are, alone in the dark in the ruin of the world. The Curse of Death cannot be ended..." She coughed a cough of somebody dying. "How can we go on? My body feels broken, and if I take another step higher up this accursed mountain I will fall and never return."  
  
"I know, I know." Link wiped back her hair, and then pulled back his own. "But I swore that I would die before I stopped trying; and try I will." He rose to his feet slowly, bones aching; blood dripping on the floor from gashes made by the razor sharp rocks. "I will not give in!" He reached forward and took a step, and then another.  
  
"Nor will I," said Zelda clambering to her feet, using the wall for support. "I did not come all this way to die like this!" She wiped her eyes and followed on behind Link.  
  
And so they climbed, they stumbled, they crawled. Pulling themselves along, always trying to move on, getting ever higher. And as they came to a peak, they looked back across the world. The sky was dark everywhere now, evil had fallen heavily. "The world is dying Link," cried Zelda, "we can't stop now! We have to go on!" Her face with dirty with dirt and tears and sweat and dried blood. Link was the same, and he looked like a menacing figure now, but she saw so much compassion in him. Then Zelda lost her footing on the peak and fell backwards from the ridge over the steep slope do the other side of the mountain.  
  
"Zelda!" Link leaped down behind her, sliding down the slope after her. The both collapsed at the bottom of this great slope and remained lying flat on the ground. Utterly defeated, dying. Then Link looked up, eyes so low they were in the dirt, but he saw something now that made his heart leap with joy because he was there at last, but also cripple him with fear and horror and hatred. "Zelda..." He shook her shoulder, and she looked up wearily. "We're here..."  
  
Zelda wiped mud from her eyes and looked up at the structure of evil and death before her. "We're here...We're really here...The Fortress of Darkness..." 


	18. Chapter 17 The Fortress Of Darkness

Chapter 17 – The Fortress Of Darkness  
  
"Come on Zelda, there's nothing for it now." Link clambered to his feet, his legs nearly gave way beneath him at first and he had to slump back onto the rocky slope. Then he put his hand on Zelda's shoulder, and she looked up at him despairingly. "Come on, you can do this now."  
  
"Yes...I know..." Zelda stood up and Link supported her by putting her arm across his shoulders. They limped slowly towards the fortress before them, and now their hearts were completely black with misery and depression and hatred; for here, the evil of the world was at its strongest.  
  
The Fortress of Darkness was immense, and looked as though it had been hewn from the mountain itself. They were incredibly high up here, but the mountains were still very tall above them, and the fortress stretched incredibly high into the sky. They could now see that it's highest tower was the peak of the mountain itself, and it soared high above them, surrounded by black clouds in the black sky, and lighting flashed viciously down at them. The body of the fortress was absolutely jet black, and the rock was made of a smooth dark rock that looked as though it was very highly polished, and it reflected the flashes of light between its towers and cast long elongated shadows. It had many towers, each of them reaching up high, clawing at the sky, great spiked jagged turrets and parapets were over it as far up as they could see; and the fortress had no real shape, no air of design about it, it was like evil rock after evil rock had just pulled together to form the fortress. And towers were built unevenly, and walls did not stretch as high as others; and so all of it's being was like a great travesty of evil and malice.  
  
The ground around it was rocky and uneven, and surrounded by cliffs, and clearly if they had not fallen down from where they had, they would not have been able to find it. There were some windows, but all were narrow and dark, and there was no light for them to let in. At the centre of the fortress, about fifty feet from where Link and Zelda now stood was a great double door. It was at least twenty times taller than they, and crafted from a very dark mahogany, which was stained black by ash and rain. With Link supporting Zelda, her arm across his shoulders, they limped towards the door.  
  
Neither of them had ever been this frightened before, and Link could hardly bring himself to look up at the dead castle before him. The rain beat down heavily upon their backs, they were so cold and so drained of energy; all they could cling to now was the dying hope that they could yet do something good for the world. But here on the brink of existence, on the brink of eternal dark, whilst they themselves felt like they were on the brink of death, there was nothing to comfort them.  
  
Every step they took towards the castle strained at their hearts. They were so close now, and every step they had taken from Hylia, across the North, to this accursed place, flashed before their eyes. They had fleeting visions of Death Mountain, and Ulaku, and the Lakelands, and Gaien, and green fields and blue skies; and of Karak and Jerra and Yerra and Vuto; but now it was worth nothing. They walked into the heart of death on earth and could not turn back, and all that was good and green in their hearts was gone. No taste of food, no feel of water, no sound of wind, or memory of tree or grass or flower, no image or moon or star were left. They were alone in the dark, with no veil left between them and cruelty, blood, malice and death.  
  
"Zelda," cried Link, as they took their final steps towards the door, "Always remember, no matter what happens now, I will always love you!" He shouted over the howling wind and ruthless rain, and she answered him.  
  
"I will love you forever Link! And if this is to be our end, then I shall never forget you!"  
  
"Now, there's nothing for it!" He was now within arms reach of the great door. "We're here, at last, and the fate of the world now hangs upon us! And I do not fear death!!" Link stretched out to reach the door, and as he did so, the Triforce of Courage glowed in his hand and his arm was alive with gold light. He pushed the door, and it swing open with immeasurable strength and shattered upon the great rock wall within.  
  
The power of the triforce flowed from his shining hand, and filled his veins with a renewed strength, and all the blood fell away from his body, and the rain dried up. He fell to his knees inside the darkness on a hard cold floor, and felt this new strength in his arms. Beside him, the same thing was happening to Zelda, and she was no longer crippled with suffering, but was kneeling down, a power flowing from the Triforce of Wisdom. "I feel life!" She shouted out joyously. "Away darkness!"  
  
Together, radiating a golden light they walked slowly into the darkness before them. That which was before them was a great cavernous hall. It seemed as though the outside of the fortress was all a great shell from this one great inner room. It was beyond their belief in understanding. So high, and supported by immense pillars, and so far across. They walked for a while, fumbling in the darkness, squinting to see.  
  
"Princess Zelda, and Link al'Ryak. Welcome to the Fortress of Darkness." Zelda and Link looked about frantically. That voice had echoed out of the shadows from all around them. They stood back to back, holding their hands together. Link had pulled out his sword in his free right hand and held it in front of him, to try and ward of danger. "I must admit, I never believed that you would actually get all the way here."  
  
"Where are you!?" Shouted out Link fiercely. The voice was shrill and high, but echoed deeply. It mocked them with every tone.  
  
"In time, in time...Hero..."  
  
"Show yourself!" Shouted Zelda, "I was sent here to destroy the Heart of Evil, and I will not let you stop us, whoever you are!"  
  
"Yes I know. The Heart of Evil, that is why you have come. But I regret to inform you that you will not find the Heart of Evil here, no."  
  
"What!" Link was frustrated. "Show yourself, coward!"  
  
"Very well." A figure emerged from the shadows and walked towards them. At least, it looked like he left the shadows, but it looked as though he actually made of the shadows. He had no face, and only a rough shape of legs and arms. He was not tall, only just taller than a child. His body was like a black mist that clung to shadows, as though he was actually part of the shadows. And in this way, it looked like all the darkness of this fortress was part of him. In truth, he was the shadow himself. A being of pure darkness. "Here I am. Are you satisfied?"  
  
"Who are you?" Asked Link, curiously, holding his sword firmly towards him.  
  
"A dead ruined for of life," replied the childlike figure, "stripped of my power...but now that will all be changed of course. The curse of Heart of Evil has finally spread across Hyrule. It has taken one thousand years, yes...but now it is finally strong enough..."  
  
"What do you mean? And why did you say that it was not here?" Zelda was now questioning this being aggressively, worried that they were wasting time.  
  
"Because it is not here, it is somewhere else. And you will never find it." He laughed hysterically, a laugh that rang through the whole hall.  
  
"Where is it!" Link demanded.  
  
"Zelda already knows. She was told by the Puppet Master."  
  
Zelda thought hard, and then remembered something she had forgotten about for a long time. "The Shadows Within?"  
  
The figure walked away, disappearing into the shadows. They followed on behind him. "I have no name, only a purpose. I am god. A disgraced god they called me, and I was banished from the heavens by your goddesses, by the ones who made those triangles in your hands."  
  
"A disgraced god?"  
  
"Yes. And to here I was banished. But they could not prevent me from fighting back." He paused, but continued walking. He was actually just leading them in a circle though. "You see...they did not understand how important evil is in the world. But without evil there is nothing to strive for. They did not share my view though, and cast me away. My vengeance...my vengeance is the Heart of Evil. I will show them when I destroy their people. In truth when their people destroy themselves. I created the Heart of Evil, but it the people of Hyrule that fuel it."  
  
"What is the Heart of Evil?" Zelda was calmer now, and very keen to get this information from him.  
  
"The Heart of Evil dwells within the soul every living being. And thus it is now destroying them from the inside. The evil deeds of your 'people' Zelda, has caused this to fall upon them. From that place within them, the Heart of Evil has grown stronger, and now they will die. And thus Din, Nayru and Farore will finally see the truth."  
  
"Truth?"  
  
"That evil must exist." He stopped dead, and turned to face them.  
  
"We are here to destroy the Heart of Evil, 'god'."  
  
"You will not find it here, it is not here. I have told you. And now," as he said those words, a long silver sword emerged from the shadows in his hand, "it is time for me to destroy you." He turned to face Link. "Link al'Ryak, Hero of Time; it is time. You will fight me now." He stepped towards Link, and they clashed swords. "It is time!"  
  
Link tensed himself, and started fighting. And as the blades of the Hero and the disgraced god collided and sparked, the fate of the world hung in the balance. 


	19. Chapter 18 The Hero And The Shadow

Chapter 18 – The Hero And The Shadow  
  
The shadow's blade wheeled over his head, and them came crashing down towards Link. Link shrugged it off on the side of his own sword and spun around to strike. The being that called himself a god was too nimble though; he did a surprising back flip over Link's blade, and made a counter strike. Link turned around and blocked the assault, and then blocked another two blows, before hitting back again.  
  
The great hall was now filled with a great wind, and the shadows seemed to be moved by the wind as though it were smoke. It swirled between them, and made Link shudder, he was cold. "Why are you fighting me!" Link demanded.  
  
"I fight you because I want to. That is all." He spun his sword around his back and leaped over Link's head, Link crouched and thrust his sword upwards. He expected that the shadow would fall down off balance, but he floated higher above him and landed on his feet on the ground behind. Link turned and struck his sword, and the blow was shrugged off. They sent several strikes back and forth, and then Link backed away, warding the shadow off.  
  
"What are you? Really?"  
  
"I am a god, Hero. I have told you. And now I have no purpose but to cause misery for those that cursed me as disgraced."  
  
"But you look like a child in the shadows!"  
  
"I can change..." The shadow grew and expanded, until it was twice Link's height, and laughed out loud. "See." He advanced on Link, sword poised to strike. Link ducked as a blow swung towards him, and lunged forward to strike. The shadow leaped backwards, flipping over his head. When he landed he was back at his original size again. The child shadow ran at Link with some speed, and Link was knocked back to the ground by his attack; he shrugged off the sword, but was still toppled off balance.  
  
He flipped back up on to his feet and swung at the shadow's legs. It leaped up and swung at Link's head. Link drew up his sword to block, and sent the shadow's sword away with a scraping of steel then kicked sideways at the shadow's chin, the shadow fell flat on its back. It just laughed as Link looked over him, holding his sword in killing poise.  
  
Zelda had been watching all this with her hands over her face, peeping through her fingers. She was used to violence and fighting, but this felt somehow different, and she struggled to cope. "Destroy him, Link!" She screamed. But the shadow was just laughing hysterically.  
  
Link thrust his sword, but the shadow rolled to the side, and struck Link's side. Link reeled in pain and fell to his knees. He was wounded, a flesh- piercing blow had hit him in the ribs, and he was bleeding heavily. Leaping to his feet angrily holding his side with his left hand, he thrust his sword towards the shadow; but the shadow merely sidestepped him and landed a blow on his right shoulder. "Argh!" Link shouted out in pain.  
  
"Link!" Zelda called, running towards him. The shadow looked at Zelda, then with some form of magic, sent a powerful shadow cloud towards her that knocked her to the ground breathless, then he turned back to the Hero.  
  
Link was kneeling on the floor, supporting himself with his sword. "You see Hero, you are not too strong. Not really." Link's sword arm was in agony now, and so he held his blade in his left hand instead.  
  
"I will not fall to you, no matter what you say you are." Link stood up, and faced his adversary. "Come on!" He ran forwards and cut upwards with his blade but the shadow blocked him with such ease, stepping left and right swinging his sword loosely to repel Link's strikes. It was hopeless.  
  
"Give in Hero, you cannot win!" The shadow was laughing hysterically as Link struggled to stand. He leapt into the air and kicked him under the chin, flipping Link over onto his back again. Link finally understood what it felt like to be defeated, on the brink of death in combat. How he had put so many others through such agony. Nevertheless, he could not and would not give in; there was too much hanging on this; the fate of the world. The closed his eyes and prayed to the gods, a desperate plea for strength. As he did so, the Triforce of Courage shined bright gold like the sun in his hand. Zelda was still on the floor, grappling with some unseen force that the shadow had inflicted upon her, twisting and writhing in pain.  
  
The power of the gods filled his veins with gold and he arose again, holding his sword in his Triforce bearing hand. "I will never give in to you!!"  
  
The shadow laughed. "Your precious Triforce cannot help you Link!" He suddenly seemed stronger than before, and had a deeper voice. He flew through the air towards Link, but the Hero just sidestepped him, and twisted his blade down into the ground, kicking the shadow in the back. "Argh!"  
  
"Yes it can!" Shouted Link, he raised his sword and struck the shadow. For the first time, the shadow was hit by Link's blade, and the power of the Triforce struck with a great ferocity. The shadow reeled, but turned back quickly and slashed viciously. Link deflected these blows and then lunged forwards.  
  
For a long time they duelled, two great powers of gold and shadow locked in volcanic combatance. Their blades sparked, and fire flew; they bounded through the air, kicking up off the great pillars and lunging downwards; neither one would give in.  
  
"What are you fighting for, Hero?" Yelled the shadow.  
  
"I fight for Hyrule! I fight for the free people!"  
  
"The free people are doomed, Hero! Fighting me will not save them." The shadow swung from above, and Link ducked. Temporarily getting behind the shadow. He swung his blade, but he back flipped over Link again  
  
"I will do what I must!" They shouted over the wind and thunder as they fought, steel flying left and right, their pattern of fighting becoming almost fluent, matching each other step for step, strike for strike.  
  
"That which you must do is already a lost cause!"  
  
"But I will do it anyway! I do not care!"  
  
"You are foolish, you are no hero!"  
  
"I am the Hero of Time!"  
  
"You were the Hero of Time, but no you are nothing. That destiny has lost you!"  
  
"No, silence! I am the Hero, and I will destroy you!" Link threw himself forwards, "Die!" He lunged his blade, but the shadow leaped above him, kicking him to the floor, and landing on top of him.  
  
"No, you will die, Link al'Ryak!!" The shadow thrust his blade down into Link's back, and blood erupted up from a great gash.  
  
"No!!" Link screamed a pain so fierce, dropping his blade with and clang and curling up on the floor.  
  
"You see! It is pointless, Hero." Link rolled onto his knees and looked up into the malice and hate in the god's flaming eyes.  
  
"Link!" Zelda was on her feet, but knew not what to do.  
  
Kneeling, Link fell forward onto his hands, head lowered to the floor. He looked up at Zelda and opened his mouth to try to speak to her, but it was in vain; the shadow kicked Link upright and slashed his silver blade across his neck. An explosion of blood stained the floor, as the Hero crashed to the ground on his face.  
  
"Link, no!!" Zelda screamed, and ran to his side. The shadow had stepped back, and was laughing maliciously. Zelda pulled Link over and looked with dread into his dead, pale eyes. "No, Link, no! Don't leave me here all alone!" She stroked his face, but he did not move. "I can't go on without you..." She held his body close and started to weep, crying for his soul and her own.  
  
But here at the brink of the world, in the Fortress of Darkness, where all light has long gone, the quest had failed at its bitter end. For Link al'Ryak, the Hero of Time, was dead. 


	20. Chapter 19 The Heart Of Evil

Chapter 19 – The Heart Of Evil  
  
"No...Link..." Tears streamed from the eyes of the Princess of Hyrule as she huddled over the body of her fallen Hero. "Don't leave me all alone...don't go where I can't follow...Link..." The shadow just laughed at her, he was holding his sides and rolling around hysterically. It was too much to bear. She felt her mind on fire, her heart felt as though it would explode with anger and sorrow. "You!" She shouted turning, and pointing a finger at the shadow, her eyes were wide open, and she felt as though they were burning. "You killed him! I will destroy you!!" She bellowed out deeply, and the shadow actually recoiled slightly in fear, but then he straightened out and stood up.  
  
"It is hopeless!" He threw back his head and laughed. "He's dead! You are all alone Zelda!"  
  
"Don't you laugh, for every breath you take I will make you suffer for a thousand times over." She advanced on him slowly, furiously glaring him down, a malice and power building up inside her. He hair was raised by the wind and blew around her upper body, starting to spark with electricity. A dark energy was flowing through her, but not of the Triforce of Wisdom, something else, something beyond her understanding. "Curse you! Curse you!" She screamed, and the shadow backed away, now very afraid. "Die!!" She lunged her arms towards him and a bolt of black lighting erupted from her hands. It struck the shadow, but she did not see what happened to him, for then something else happened. Black lighting and flames and wind and shadow and ash erupted from her and the ground beneath and engulfed her. She was doing it, creating this power beyond her comprehension. The earth trembled and rose up around her, the great pillars of the fortress began to crumble. It was so loud, and so powerful. She was lifted off the ground, and was swirling around in the air, caught in the dark and deep magic. She screamed out loud with rage, and then...all was silent.  
  
Everything was black and still again, but at once something was clear...she was not in the fortress anymore. It was cold here, very cold. Not the usual sort of cold either, this was a freeze that was chained to her heart. Then she saw that the freeze was truly chained to her heart.  
  
She could not tell how far this black abyss went on, possibly forever, but in front of her now she saw something very clear. A great bright burning fireball, made of white and gold and black fire. Swirling quickly in every direction, burning brighter than the sun. All she could feel from this was hate and malice and evil, and reaching from her own chest was a continuous stream of dark energy flowing into it.  
  
She knew what it was leaving her; it was her dark energy, her hatred for Link's killer, her sorrow for Link's death, and her anger at herself for allowing it to happen. And she knew what this great ball of evil fire was before her, it was the Heart of Evil. She walked towards it slowly, feeling all the hatred and spite and malice in her own heart, feeding its dark force. And now she saw that from it, reaching out to little pinpricks of light dotted around in he blackness, were lots of other dark energies, all flowing into it, thousands of strands of dark energies, all making it greater in power. It was the people of Hyrule, and all their dark thoughts, making the Heart of Evil stronger and bringing their own demise. She had to destroy it.  
  
She raised her arms forward towards it and unleashed upon it all her rage and dark power welled inside her. It collided with great impact upon the Heart of Evil, but all she was doing was making it stronger. It grew larger, and with every attack she made upon it grew stronger still. She could feel people dying, souls calling out to her. But what could she do?  
  
She thought about everything she had been through to get here, all that she had suffered, mustering strength. Anger, sorrow, hatred, malice...but it was to no avail. The Heart of Evil grew stronger still...it was hopeless.  
  
She fell to her knees, and put her head in her hands. She was here now, before the Heart of Evil, but there was nothing she could do.  
  
Before her, the heat blazed and her heart was frozen even more, and she began to feel it take hold of her. The curse was beginning to grip her, just as it had Yerra and Karak. She had failed in her quest now, right at the very end. Link was dead, and though she had found what they had searched for, there was nothing that she could do.  
  
As she fell down to the ground, he life force leaving her, a thought crossed her mind. The words Link had said to her as they climbed the mountain, '"Zelda, always remember, no matter what happens now, I will always love you!"' She smiled, he had been there to the end with her, and died fighting for her. The greatest love filled her heart, and she waited for the end.  
  
But the end did not come; she felt warmth in her again. She managed to climb back to her feet, and knew that it was her thoughts of love that were healing her. This was what she needed to destroy the Heart of Evil. She thought about her adventure and everything good that had come out of it, she remembered Yerra and Jerra and Karak and Vuto, and all the good things thy had done for her; and their undying loyalty throughout.  
  
'"I am not going to abandon you now. Not now. Not after we have come so far."'  
  
'"I am not going to leave you. I am bound to this just as much as you two now; and I owe it to you to finish what I agreed to start."'  
  
'"I won't abandon you now, I must come"'  
  
'"I will follow you two to the end"'  
  
She laughed faintly, and a tear rolled down from her eyes, and felt a new power in her. A force of love from her friends, she stepped towards the Heart of evil and unleashed this power upon it. White lighting burst from her fingers an a hurricane surrounded her. This was working, this was destroying it. She remembered other people, Syon, Chief Hamal, Caitas...all had been so good to her. Her magic grew, and fire burst from her hands, and attacked the dark flame with cataclysmic power. Then with her final thought of Link, everything was good again in the world, and everything around her turned white.  
  
The next thing she was aware of, she was back in the Fortress of Darkness as it crumbled to the ground. She saw Link's body on the floor and approached it, unafraid. The held her hand out above his, and the Triforce of Courage left his hand, and entered hers in a shower of golden light. Then kissing him on he forehead, she turned and ran without looking back.  
  
Her body was weary, and her mind broken. The rain lashed down upon her, and the wind blew rocks and sand into her face. She cried out in anguish, as she clambered up the slope away from the fortress.  
  
Zelda looked over her shoulder and tried to smile as the fortress came crashing down to the earth. Rocks slid and towers crumbled, and the noise was so immense. She kept climbing and climbing, every last bit of strength she could muster trying to get her out of this place.  
  
Then she reached the peak, and looked out upon creation. Over the Great North Plain the sun was shining through the clouds, casting away the shadows and hate. People were living once more. In exhaustion, she shut her eyes and collapsed upon this peak. She felt her self slowly sliding down the other side of the mountain, the rocks tearing her body up, but then two warm spirits, two angels she thought, lifted her up and bore her away from the death and destruction and turmoil of the mountain.  
  
The task was done, and now all she felt was joy. 


	21. Chapter 20 The Puppet Master

Chapter 20 – The Puppet Master  
  
Link opened his eyes wearily, he felt faint yet enduring, as though he was on his last breath but could draw ten thousand more. He was lying on his front, on a pure white floor, and as he raised his head he saw that everything around his was white. And there were no walls or a ceiling, it was just infinite white space, and the light was incredibly bright. He struggled to remember what had happened, and then suddenly it all came flooding back to him, and the bottom line was, he was dead. So where was he now? He climbed to his feet slowly, struggling with himself to keep his balance. Then, out as though out of a fog, he saw something or somebody emerging in front of him.  
  
"Link al'Ryak, Hero of Time," it said with no expression or feeling. "I am the Puppet Master." The figure resembled a tall man but was just a grey silhouette, a shadow in the fog, and he did not reveal himself. But this shadow was not the one that had killed him, he knew that. He was feeling different near this being than he had done with the god in the Fortress of Darkness.  
  
He remembered that name, he knew what this being had done. "You, you're the Puppet Master." Said Link accusingly. "You're the one that talked to Zelda in her sleep, you sent her on this quest. You...you sent me to my death." He tried to get closer to the shadow, but the further he moved, the further away the shadow became.  
  
"I am the Puppet Master, Link. I am the one that is. I am above and beyond anything that you could understand. I am beyond time, I am beyond light and dark, I am beyond life and death, I am beyond the power of the goddesses...everything that transpires in the world is done so according to my will and my will alone. I am the Puppet master who knows, sees and controls all...your death was my will." The voice was slow and calm, but frighteningly unsoothing.  
  
"Why? Why now?" He asked, giving up on trying to get closer to him.  
  
"You Link, all your life, it has all led to this. You're purpose in this world was to bring Zelda to the Heart of Evil. She and only she had the power to destroy it; but only your death had the power to get her to it."  
  
"I don't understand, what has happened to Zelda?"  
  
"When you died, her mind left the Fortress of Darkness and was carried into another plain of existence. She created such a dark power and energy out of her hatred and sorrow over your death that she stumbled into this place. It is a place inside every living thing, in is within every flame, every stone, every tide, every leaf. But only she, only she had the power to get there, to unlock it. And only once she was there could she destroy the Heart of Evil."  
  
"What is this place that you speak of?"  
  
"The Shadows Within, of course." The silhouette shimmered in the fog, and a wind blew around it.  
  
Link looked at this being in wonder, and didn't know what to feel. Then he asked the question that was all he cared about any more. "What has become of Zelda?"  
  
"Zelda lives. She was released from the shadows and escaped the fortress and the mountains as they crumbled to the ground. After the Heart of Evil was destroyed everybody that was dying recovered, including your cousin, Karak. He and Jerra went on up the mountain, and found Zelda unconscious and alone. She is saved, and will live. Now that the Heart of Evil has been destroyed the curse of death has been lifted from Hyrule, and everyone that was suffering, including Yerra, will survive.  
  
"Then what will happen to me?"  
  
"You are dead Link, nothing can change that. When you are released from this place your conscious mind will cease to exist, but your spirit will live on. You will become part of Hyrule; you will become part of the matter that makes up the world. Your spirit will be in the air and in fire and in the earth and the sea. You will be the in first breath of spring and the last leaf of autumn, the first wine of summer and the last snow of winter. This is how it is for all the dead. You may feel alone for an age, but Zelda will eventually follow you into the next life."  
  
"I am afraid..."  
  
"Yes you are Link, for now you are beyond my control and I cannot give you your courage, you must find that for yourself."  
  
"So I will be like this forever?"  
  
"A time will come Link when a new Hero will arise, when the world as you know it is long gone and the sea has swallowed it up. You shall live on through him, and through him you may feel new life. But other than this there will be no going back, and I cannot say I am sorry. You have come to the end that all living things must come to... until the final end of time; which is so far beyond your understanding that I will not begin to describe it; the realm of joy at the end of all things to be known as The Light Without. But that matters not now so you needn't know it."  
  
"So are you going to release me?"  
  
"Yes Link, this is your end. Goodbye."  
  
The world shattered before his eyes and his body was torn apart, but then all pain was over and he felt everything good and free in the world. He could feel all of Hyrule and everything within it. He had a feeling of infinite and inexpressible joy. And he could feel Zelda in Hyrule, and Karak and Jerra and Yerra and everything that he had known, and it was all so good because the Heart of Evil was destroyed and curse of death no longer held presence.  
  
He heard the laughter of children and the gentle breeze in the grass, and the tide breaking on the shore. There was no more darkness in the northern mountains, the accursed place of evil was no more, and the shadow god was gone.  
  
He felt something else as well, a friend that was not in Hyrule, but was with him in his all seeing presence; Vuto. Vuto was there with him, and at last they truly understood each other. The world was free of pain and suffering, and Hyrule was saved. With a joyous feeling of life in his heart, Link's conscious mind let go and he fell into the chasms of time as a spirit immortalised until the breaking of the world.  
  
Night was passed and the morning had come, and all would be fair and free forever. 


End file.
